Rogue's Bee
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: Ever since Rodrigo's death, Charmy has split from the Babylon Rogues and enjoys his life back together with the Chaotix after a two year absence, but when a marriage between two of his friends comes by, a horrible fate spirals down on him and the Rogues.
1. Prologue

Rogue's Bee...OMFG. Oh, and that reunion show I promised will be at the end of this story with Gemini as the host. The questions you all sent in for BB will still be answered because I wrote them down.

Characters (C) Respective Owner

Prologue

The former "Lord" Rodrigo the Crow paced in Hell. He cursed out to the sky, knowing that he lost. Everything. Everything that he had ever wanted was crushed by an eight-year-old bee and those Babylon Rogues. He stared at his white-flamed wrists, hatred flowing through his cold blood. He screamed, reverbrating against the insanity that surronded him. Demons tormented the souls of the damned everyday, but Rodrigo had just got there. They hadn't found him yet, so he decided to hide. Of course, his screaming wasn't helping.

"Charmy, Charmy, Charmy Bee!" he shrieked, smashing his fist into a nearby charcoal boulder. He cradled his now throbbing hand. "Damn you, damn you for doing this to me!"

Hell prevented the once fabled lord to use any of his Babylonian magic or gravity powers. The Arks were removed from his wrists and ankles, must likely scattered throughout Earth. Rodrigo sighed, slumping against the indent he created on the boulder. Everything felt obsolete now that he had died. There were no more tricks up his sleeves, no more ways to escape Hell. Espio was gone, back to life, and he knew a demon wouldn't be stupid enough to bring him back.

However, his misery was suddenly halted when faint footsteps filtered his ears. Rodrigo's voilet eyes, now pale from the dust flying around in the heated winds, glazed over his surrondings. A mixture of narcotics fluttered around the air from the fragments of demonic blood from their torture. He couldn't found the source of the footsteps when the screams of the damned suddenly subsided.

"Hello, father," a malicious voice cooed. A black crow in his early twenties, similar to Rodrigo with golden eyes approached him from behind. He wore a red cardinal's garment with armor plates on his chest. Along the chest pad where his heart was the Babylon symbol with a large X cutting through. Like Rodrigo, he wore the same boots with white flames and had white flames tatooed along his wrists.

"Cesare," Rodrigo breathed, eyes bulged. "my son. You are here, too?"

"So is my half-sister, Lucrezia," Cesare malevolently hissed, eyes narrowing down on him. "After all, Father, you created me with Nachine instead of Lady Vanozza."

The names struck fear in Rodrigo's lifeless, unforgiving heart. "V-Vanozza, I loved her. Nachine was a m-mistake! You were never to be born, you monster!"

"As did I feel the same about Vanozza, especially when you left me to be with her and Lucrezia. While you were away plotting, I took care of them. I got a good job as a mercenary, taking in money and battle experience from Stolen. Stolen was a rather pleasant hawk. Why did you hate him again?" his son questioned, extending his hand to his father.

Accepting the hand, Rodrigo pulled himself to his feet. "Stolen and the council disdained my ideas. The Gears, the Heartless, the Arks, everything. When I learned that Stolen was creating his own version of Gear, it drove me to the brink."

Cesare nodded, glancing away when the thumping of petite feet came. "Father, Lucrezia is here."

A beautiful blonde crow in her late teens with flowing feathers that reached down to her knees in an elegant white gown filled with lovely jewels emblazoned her father with a hug. Lucrezia, Rodrigo's only daughter, had tears flowing down her cobalt eyes and down her smooth beak. Like her father and half-brother, she donned the white flames.

"Lucrezia," Rodrigo whispered, holding his daughter tightly. "why are you here? You were an angel, like your mother."

"I know, Father," she whimpered, hugging him tightly. "but when word came out that you had sabotaged the ship and killed yourself, we were banished with the people that supported you. We waged war in your name, but ultimately lost Babylon Garden to Stolen and his group."

"And...Vanozza?"

"Mother didn't make it," Cesare solemnly replied.

A sober silence overcame Rodrigo. Sullenly, he filled his children in on his side of the tale. From his first death two years ago on Babylon Garden against Golden me, Super Sonic, and Galaxy Jet to his final battle with me on Babylon Garden in present time. Cesare closed his eyes, rage on his features. Lucrezia covered her beak, utterly stupefied.

"What is this prince's name?" Cesare asked, staring over at his father with intrigue.

"His name...is Charmy Bee, the only member of the Babylon Rogues that isn't descended from the Babylonians himself," Rodrigo explained, voice gruff at the mere mention.

"How old is he?" Lucrezia questioned, voice wracked with concern.

"...Eight."

Cesare burst into twisted laughter like his father's; Lucrezia daintily covered her beak, chuckling softly. Embarassed, Rodrigo snarled at his children, silencing them. Lucrezia hung behind Cesare while he simply glared at his father.

Lucrezia and Cesare were both bastard children. Rodrigo never married, but was was engaged to Vanozza the Swallow once his plan suceeded. While Vanozza was away on vacation with her family, Rodrigo met a the sultry vixen Nachine the Sparrow, a distant relative to Vanozza. Nachine seduced the unwillingly future lord, and Cesare was born. On his birth, Cesare's mother Nachine died in giving birth. Cesare was sleeping during her death, unaware. Rodrigo didn't mourn her loss, but attempted to kill Cesare when Vanozza stopped him. Vanozza noticed something odd about the young crow and held him, appearing to be angel. For the first time in his life, Rodrigo cried. Vanozza, already head over heels for him, stayed by his side and agreed to become his wife. A year later, Lucrezia was born.

Rodrigo and Cesare noticed the sign of distress in the air. A horde of demons suddenly launched at the family. The demons turned out to be the Heartless called Slyphers that Rodrigo made during his reign. All were cheering for their lord and his children, bowing towards them. Slyphers were despicably stupid creatures. Bony body, wings of a bat for arms, beady eyes, and their incurrable bloodlust made them rather unattractive.

"Father, I've gathered them for you," Cesare sniggered, a currant look of morbid amusement. Rodrigo shuddered mentally at the dryness of his son's voice. "Care to address your troops?"

A shaky breath escaped his beak, surprised. Rodrigo glanced back to his son and wished he hadn't. An aura of black smog was amassing around him, but apparantly only Rodrigo could see it. It wasn't the Shadow form, no, but something more evil than what he could decipher. Rodrigo wondered what he had brought upon his family, and he already figured out what Cesare had done to himself. Frightfully, he glanced over to Lucrezia, the opposite of her demonic brother. Lucrezia cupped her hands together and began to pray. The prayer sounded more like a chant, and the Slyphers stopped all their jeering and patiently waited.

Sneering, Rodrigo began to chuckle darkly under his breathe. Cesare glanced over to his father somewhat insulted that he hadn't been thanked yet. Suddenly, Rodrigo burst out into cynical laughter like his son's. Lucrezia stopped her chants, nervously clutching her chest. The Slyphers gazed at their leader with caution.

"Excellent. This is perfect, Cesare, Lucrezia. My time will rise again! " Rodrigo jeered, clenching his fists. Facing his troops, he added, "And you will assist won't you?"

The Slyphers cheered and chanted Rodrigo's name in perfect unison. Rodrigo sniggered, facing his children smugly. Cesare looked placidly amused, eyes narrowing down on the Slyphers. Lucrezia closed her eyes, but a smile remained on her face.

"It's a true joy, indeed, Father," Lucrezia stated, bobbing her head slightly.

Cesare glanced away, replying, "However, our mission cannot be accomplished for another two years in Earth time."

Spite coursed through Rodrigo's body. The Babylonian traitor glared over at his son, not wavering. His son simply disregarded the act of hatred and sighed. Like the vindictive avian he was, Rodrigo fouly cursed under his breathe. Cesare exhaled, knowing that his father's rage could be much worse.

"Just why can't we begin now?" Rodrigo demanded. "We have enough Heartless to overrun Hell!"

"Because we must gain the trust of the demons," Cesare explained. "Even though I've taken the gratitude of convincing most demons. Wouldn't you agree, Father?"

Rodrigo inspects Cesare even closer, and he gasps lightly. The invisable demonic aura around the younger crow has deepened. Rodrigo could make out that the aura had small, ghostly faces that kept reitarating death threats. Unorthadox was what it seemed to be in Rodrigo's eyes.

"...Alright, patience is a virtue in a place such as this," Rodrigo conceded, facing away from the demons. The crow cringed mentally, knowing Cesare was still boring his eyes through him. "We shall wait, my comrades, until the favored day has arrived for my conquest!"

The Slyphers roared in unison. Gleefully, they flew away with high hopes of terrifying destruction crisp on their minds. Lucrezia glanced over her shoulder, feeling a disturbance. Instantly, Cesare noticed this.

"Sister, is something the matter?" Cesare questioned as Rodrigo stared over to them.

The female crow placed a hand near the her lower beak and fidgeted. "I feel a strange light pulsing somewhere, cutting through the vast darkness." She closed her eyes. The flames on her wrists glowed as she gasped. Pointing up to the sky, she shouted, "There!"

A burst of orange sprang out of the sky, lunging towards Rodrigo. Malice could be seen in his emerald eyes, but it wasn't Sonic. Instead, an orange falcon wearing a brown trenchcoat with black boots with white flames and matching gloves, landed before the trio. Cannon the Falcon, victim to Rodrigo's decieving ways and former apprentice, arrived in a flurry of angelic sway. On his back were a pair of feathery white angel wings with a light aura surronding them. A halo was crowned just above his forehead.

Glaring at his apprentice, Rodrigo sneered, "Well, what a touching reunion I got to feast upon. My two children and my apprentice. To what do I owe this visit, Cannon? I see you don't have your opal."

Cannon gingerly swabbed the small indent on his forehead where his opal used to be. "That was when I was brainwashed by you. Now I'm a dead, fallen angel that couldn't decided on where he should go. However..." Cannon yanked out his Babylonian fans that were dipped in the purple poison Cantarella. "...the least I can do to repent for my sins is making sure you stay in Hell!"

Cesare glowered down at Cannon. "Try if you might, falcon. Your pursuit shall end in failure."

"Try me!" Cannon shrieked, lunging at the family of crows.

Lucrezia cried out, hiding nervously behind her father. Suddenly, something struck through Cannon's core. Cannon froze, utterly shocked. He looked down at his chest, finding a large sword stabbing through his heart. He slumped forward, but he was already dead so this placed him in a state of unconscienceness.

Cesare ripped his sword out, grasping the heart on the other side of his sword. He squeezed it until it broke into a bloody mess, splattering over Cannon's head. Rodrigo blinked, horrified at his son's actions. He would not actually harm his subordinates without repercussion or knowledge of what they did. He was ready to scream at him when Lucrezia grasped his arm and shook her head. Cesare snatched one of Cannon's ponytails.

"You are now my pawn," he whispered into Cannon's ear. "Your new name is Tagio Della Volpe."

"Tagio Della Volpe," Cannon whispered, eyes whirling in a rotation. Suddenly, he erected himself as Cesare ripped his long sword back. The falcon's eyes turned a pale purple like Rodrigo's, and his wings and halo vanished.

"Who's Tagio?" Rodrigo demanded, somewhat in a state of shell-shock.

"Tagio Della Volpe was my faithful retainer," Cesare explained. "We were like brothers, except he was a falcon, and I a crow. What's ironic is that little Cannon here is Tagio's descendent. Hah! There's goes his line."

Lucrezia frowned and pouted at her brother. "Brother, that isn't fair to treat the dead like that!"

"Aren't we dead?" Cesare replied sarcastically. A tiny grin formed on his razor-sharp beak when his half-sister laughed.

Rodrigo took notice to this, wondering what occured during the time of his supposed death. Cesare was his son, so he had to do what he commanded. But something about him put him on edge. The invisable black aura came back around him with threats of massacure and illness. The Ark creator cleared his throat, gesturing for his children to follow.

"Cesare, Lucrezia, where do you take refuge?" Rodrigo asked as they began to walk.

"Over there." Lucrezia pointed back the opposite way.

Cesare laughed. "What a bumblehead you are, Father."

Suddenly, Rodrigo wrapped his talons around Cesare's throat. Cesare didn't gasp, but looked on in shock. Lucrezia covered her beak, quietely whispering for her father to release him. Rodrigo smirked conivingly, glaring at him.

"Bumblehead am I? Bumblehead sounds like bumblebee," Rodrigo heinously whispered into his son's ear. "Never mention that foul boy around me again. Now, let's retire."

Cesare nodded through the excessive choking. Rodrigo threw him away, and Cesare clashed down, creating long slashes across the ground. Cesare flopped over to his side, glaring over to his scoundrel of a father. Lucrezia tried to assist, but he slapped her hand away. Consiladating his emotions, he sauntered over to the fallen Cannon. Heaving him over his shoulder, Cesare moved swiftly past his father towards the hideout.

"Soon, Father, Lucrezia, everyone shall feel the wrath we endured and suffered through," Cesare vowed, staring up at the hellish red sky. "I swear it."

"Good," Rodrigo drawled. "but when two years is over, what next?"

"You'll see."

---

Golly gee, another sequel. Well, this is the last of the trilogy, so yeah. Reunion show is after this story is finished.


	2. Wedding Bell Blues pt 1

Characters (C) Respective Owners

Ch. 1: Wedding Bell Blues pt. 1

"Vector, slow down!" Espio screamed from the backseat with me as we held onto each other for dear life.

Vector couldn't drive. At all. Apparantly, the crocodile only had a learner's permit and never bothered to try to get a license. When I asked him about it when he started the ignition, he just stared at me like I was a complete moron.

"Vector, you're gonna hit that old lady!" I shrieked as Vector swerved the car around.

The old lady screamed and ran off as fast as she could in her walker, which was pretty slow by my standards. Vector suddenly slammed on the brakes when sirens lit up behind him and cursed under his breathe. Espio and I glanced over to each other as the policeman approached us with a cigar in his mouth. An angry mob followed as Espio turned invisable with me in tow, and we escaped, leaving out poor leader to deal with all the mishaps he caused.

Two years had past since I fought Rodrigo. Two long, crime-fighting, case-solving years with my newly revived comrades Vector and Espio. Sure, there were a few Eggman assualts with the Nocturnus Tribe, some Dark Gaia thingy, and Sonic turning into a Werehog which reminded me of that Link dude I played as on Super Smash Brothers. Of course, the hardest part was departing from the Babylon Rogues, but mostly Storm. Storm had been like an older brother to me, something I never really had. Well, there was Espio and Jet, but Storm was different somehow. He cared about me, and, yeah, so did Espio and Jet, but he was different. He took the time to understand me. We visited each other frequently, but this next meeting was going to be huge.

"So, where's this chapel, Espio?" I asked once we had ran away. Vector's horrid screams filled the air, amusing us.

He glanced down at the invitation in his hand. "Sixty Wellsworth Street is what this says," he read off.

We began to search around for the streets around us. Of course, Vector was way off course since he didn't even bother to get directions from the internet like Espio suggested. But nooo, Vector claimed he knew the way and threw us in his crummy van. Funny thing is, for the first time ever we weren't even late. Espio sighed, rubbing his temple in aggrivation.

"What's up, Espio?" I asked inquiringly, cocking my head at him. "You seem kinda glum lately."

"I've had a strange feeling around for a while," he explained, pointing to Wellsworth Street. "I'm not sure, but it's getting stronger."

"How?"

Espio paused, staring up at the chapel. The chapel was a gorgeous white with ceramic and steel glass windows. Pictures of angels and heavenly creatures resided on them, and Espio sighed. He was sent to Hell because his actions in corresponding with Rodrigo, but he, Vector and Sonic were able to come back to life by a deal that happened if I killed Rodrigo, they come back. Which obviously suceeded since I'm the greatest.

Keeping unusually quiet, Espio simply ordered me to fasten up my tuxedo. I whined openly, fixing the bowtie on tuxedo. We were invited to the marriage between my former boss Jet and his girlfriend/smartest-girl-ever Wave. I recieved the invitation a while ago, maybe two weeks since it got lost in the mail. Thankfully, the marriage was in Station Square, the city I lived in with the Chaotix.

"Hey, Espy, Charmy!" a voice called out. Our attention was directed over to a smaller building next to the chapel. There was a grey albatross that donned a form-fitting tuxedo, and thankfully, no poncho.

"Storm!" I cried eagerly, flying ahead of Espio.

Surprisingly, Storm had gotten somewhat thinner with longer legs. Dude, I know right? He was taller, too, almost as tall as Vector, but he still had the same crooked grin that I remembered. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, rubbing my unhelmeted head, revealing black fur in a small ponytail. Copied directly from Storm whom placed his dredlocks in a cropped ponytail.

"Boss is in a state of mental panic," Storm stated, shaking Espio's hand. "He's been muttering to himself for the past hour now. The wedding is getting closer with each murmur of distress."

"Really?" Espio asked, eyes widening in surprise.

"Yeah, he's utterly terrified," Storm sighed. "but I'm sure everything will pull through. Eventually."

I zoomed on ahead with Storm's hand in mine, flying through the halls to see Jet. It was rather eccentric for Jet to be marrying at eighteen, but he loves Wave. That evens everything out, right? Well, four-year-age difference. Whatever, so long as love is blooming, it's okay.

Before I even got to greet Jet, he snatched my shoulders with paranoia vivid in his eyes. "Where have you been?! Why are you so late?! Do you have the rings?!"

"At least say hi," I grumbled, trudging through my tuxedo pocket. There were two gold rings inside for the soon-to-be-happy couple.

Sighing with relief, Jet rubbed my head. The emerald hawk's headfeathers were, too, in a long ponytail, but his feathers struck upwards. He wore a ravishing, glimmering tuxedo with a white corsage on the breast pocket with patching slacks and boots. He didn't wear gloves, showing off his flames.

"Sorry about that," Storm said, coming in with Espio. "Boss is going to be married soon, heh. How cute."

"Shut up, Storm," Jet growled, eyeing his friend with a playful smirk.

"Jet, this really is a large ordeal," Espio stated sullenly, arms folded. "Do you want to go through with this?"

"Espio, you've lost it!" I accused, jabbing a thumb at him. "Just because you haven't aged two years, doesn't mean you can go accusing Jet of anything! You're the same age!"

Truth be told that since he, Vector and Sonic were dead, the remained the same age during their deaths since it was the happiest time of their lives. So, since they came back two years ago and died, their respective ages are: eighteen for Espio, twenty-two for Vector, and nineteen for Sonic since he died once at seventeen. Of course, Jet now has the right to call Sonic "shorty".

Espio glared daggers at me. "Still, so what? I'm more mature."

"You're also more full of yourself," I countered.

"At least I'm not an obnoxious pipsqueak," Espio sniggered amusedly.

"Wanna fight?!"

Storm muffled both of our faces with his large, bone-crashing hands. Clutching us both by our attenaes and horn, he glowered at us, sending shivers down our spines. He calmly requested that if we try to fight, he'll snap our necks. We agreed to his terms rapidly, and he released us.

Jet was staring out the window. I hovered over to him, pondering on what he was gazing at so longingly. People were starting to crowd around inside the chapel, and I recognized some people: the Sonic Heroes, the entire Wolf Pack with Carnage, Psycho, and Rojok in front, Aikara with Mighty and Ray, and Team Screw-Ups with matching tuxedos that said "Screw-Ups" on the back.

Then I saw _Raine_. My crush/soon-to-be-love...hopefully was donning an enticing sky blue strapless dress that made me go ga-ga. The other members, Armand, Rector, and Howl were wearing vest tuxedos, but Rector was...well...

"Hey, everybody! Life treatin' you good? Need a team of mercenaries to take care of any villain or some such! Give Team Virtex a ring and-" Before Rector could finish, Howl punched him across the face while Armand wrapped him up in a rope from his watch. The dark rose hedgehog glared at Psycho, but the wolf refused to stop laughing until he found Tomo and started to hit on her.

Which resulted in him nearly getting kunaied to death if he hadn't used Rojok as a shield. Wow, what a jerk, but it was still pretty hilarious to watch! He gets kudos!

Someone's cell phone began to ring, and it turned out to be Storm's. Storm raised his finger, signifying silence as he answered it. "Hello?...No, don't even say that...W-what? Now?" His voice turned frantic, erratic. Instantly, I was concerned. "W-why? Then just...Ugh, fine! Goodbye!" Switching his phone off, his shoulders heaved a few times. Chucking his phone against the wall, the albatross covered his face with his hand.

"Storm, are you okay?" Jet asked concern wracking his voice. "Was it Knuckles? If it was just kick his butt, I'll allow it! Wave might not, but-"

"She broke up with me," Storm muttered.

"What?" Jet and I asked simultaneously.

Espio, covering his ears, cocked his head to the side. "You had a girlfriend, Storm? I didn't know."

"Kiba broke up with me," he mumbled again, facing the wall sadly. His muscles tightened, hands clenched into fists. "Aw, man! W-what did I do to deserve this today!?"

"Sorry, Storm, I dunno what to say," I said, unsure of what comforting words to add. _Yeah, I dunno what to say is really comforting,_ I thought, mentally strangling myself.

Storm glanced back over to Jet, and some unshed tears were still in his eyes. A small grin came onto his face. "Hey, don't-don't worry about me. I'm still the best man for you, Boss."

Slightly agape, Jet blinked over to his best friend. "Thanks, but more importantly, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, there are better women in this world than _Kiba_," Storm replied, emphasizing the panda's name like a poison.

"If you say so. You wanna punch something, feel free to," Jet suggested, cocking his head. "Anyway, man, now Wave doesn't have a bridesmaid."

"Oh, yes, she does boys." Suddenly, a gust of wind blasted through and in came Rouge the Bat. Instead of the formal purple bridesmaid outfit Kiba was supposed to wear, she donned a cleavage-showing grey dress with black high heels with the usual makeup.

"Rouge, you're already married to Knuckles," Espio stated monotoniously as his eyes engaged themselves on Rouge's voluptious chest.

"Doesn't matter in this church," Rouge drawled like she already explained it. "In this church, it's free, and I overheard the little converstation on Wave's little gizmo called the Red Orb between you and Kiba, Storm, my apologies."

"'S'okay," Storm said.

"She chose me to be her new bridesmaid and let me wear my regular clothing. Plus, it gives my wings room to breathe." Rouge spun around, revealing the tan skin on her back. I blushed, glancing away. Rouge took interest to this and flew over to me, leaning over. "You like?"

My nose started to bleed, and everyone started guffawing. Wiping the blood with a tissue Espio handed to me, I glared over at the batgirl. Rouge winked at us before flying off down the hallway and the stairs.

"Where's she going?" Espio asked, hearing giggling from upstairs. "Ah, I see. Wave and the girls are above us, aren't they?"

Jet nodded eagerly with a grin. "Yeah, the wedding will occur in just half an hour, and I'm actually pretty nervous. Freaked out by all of this."

"Why, Jet?" I asked. "You're marrying the girl you love. There's nothing more you could ask for, is there?"

"I'm gonna faint, I swear to God, I'm gonna faint," Jet mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Keep saying that, and you will," Espio pointed out, cuffing Jet over the head with the backside of his hand.

Knuckles popped his head through the door, asking us if we had seen Rouge anywhere. Before he knew it, Storm smashed his fist across his face. The guardian flew across the hallway and onto the stairs. We all stared at Storm like he was on something really, really bad.

"Boss said I could punch something, so I did," Storm said with a lackadaisical shrug. "Relieves the stress."

Jet pointed at him and smirked. "Good, do it now, and you won't regret it later."

"Except Knuckles is going to kill you when he comes out of this concussion," Espio stated, feeling Knuckles' jugular vein. "Which may be a while so plan your will accordingly."

Storm winced, biting his lower beak. He glanced over to Jet and I, but we just looked away. Instantly, I knew Storm was going to be screwed any day now. I glanced over to the clock, realizing that we had to leave.

The four entered the chapel, seeing that nearly all of the seats were filled. Espio rubbed his temples, glancing over to Wave's side. He shivered, taking his seat next to a PO'ed Vector. Espio just shook his head while Vector continued to glare at him for leaving behind to deal with the mob. Storm, Jet and I went to our respective places. The preist handed me a small pillow where the rings went, and I was forced to hold them. Glancing over to Wave's side, I blushed at Cream. She was the flower girl apparantly, but I just grinned at her. Tails threw some wine glass at my head and missed. Raine eyed me suspiciously.

The priest was actually a women. A blonde crow with blue eyes that changed to grey at times in a regular red gown with a white dress underneath with a necklace with a cross on it. Jet kept glancing over to her with interest, but kept trying his best to avoid her rapturing gaze. She placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him.

"You're very lucky," she coyfully said, eyes narrowing down onto him. "To be marrying the one you cherish the most, that is."

"Oh, right," Jet chuckled, looking away. "I'm lucky alright."

Suddenly, a piano started to play, and everyone rose. Jet froze until Storm, and I both pinched him on his arms. The hawk glared at us, but was instantly drawn back to the chapel doors. Wave began to ascend the halls in an elegant wedding dress that flourished outwards with one ruffled part around her waist. It accentuated her curves, tightening around her chest. Instead of her usual doorag, she wore a veil that didn't cover her face. In her hands was a round of flowers in a rather cruddly prepared cloth. I chose the flowers to help out. Most of them were roses to symbolize enternal love. Corny, I know.

Jet's beak flew open, and he began to stutter like Storm until the albatross in mention slapped him over the head. Thanking Storm, he added that his raise was gone. Storm raised his hand over Jet's head, and the raise was still on.

"We are gathered here today to bring hawk and swallow together as husband and bride," the priestess began, arms raised into the air. She smirked, glancing over to Wave's side. "and may I add that this is a most joyous event for all."

And so, the monologue of marriage and matrimony and love ensued, and I probably fell asleep fluttering through half of it. I looked through the crowd, noticing that Stream and Bean stumbled in late to Jet's side, but went unnoticed by most. On Wave's side were two strange black birds, not the spieces, that remained standing behind the rows of chairs near the entrance with a shadowy bird with orange feathers. All three were wearing white robes with hoods that covered their faces, but their beaks were visible.

_Is this what Espio was sensing?_ I thought, returning my gaze to Jet's gawking expression at Wave. _Feels like certain doom to me, and not the good kind of doom where the good guy always wins like in superhero comics._

"And now, the vows!" the priestess proclaimed. She faced Wave. "You, my dear? What do you pledge to him?"

Wave faced Jet with love in her eyes. She pulled out a small piece of notebook paper and read aloud. "Jet, ever since I known you, I felt connected to you. Sure, you were my leader and Storm's. Even Charmy's at one point, but I always felt something towards you. A reason to protect, and it wasn't the oath I took during our Babylon Rogue's initation. Of course, that feeling turned in a mutual respect to each other before...blossoming, you could say, into love." She started to blush, shifting uncomfortably. "Jet, I will always love you. No matter what."

The priestess sighed, patting Wave's shoulder. "And you, Mr. Hawk?"

Jet froze and paled. "...What vows?" he asked meekly.

"Wow, Jet!" Nack called from his seat. "Even I'm not that stupid to forget mine!"

Oh, yeah, Nack and Tomo married and there was beer. Lots of beer. I'll leave this to your imagination with the images of Tomo's drunken ex-boyfriend Dirnt, and drunken Nack and pistols. Not to mention more beer.

"Shut up, Nack!" Jet shouted, glaring at the weasel. Facing Wave, he winced at the anger on her face. "Uh, um, vows, well, I-I never knew about vows, so..."

"Jet, I specifically explained what the vows were beforehand," Wave retorted harshly, arms twitching. "and you forget about them?"

"Well, too much was on my mind, Wave! I'm eighteen, and you're twenty...what? Twenty-two?," Jet snorted.

The swallow scoffed at him. "You irresponsible birdbrain!"

"At least I don't have freaking-!"

"C-come on you guys, this is your wedding!" he coaxed, feebly attempting a smile. He placed a warning hand on Jet's shoulder. "Y-you two are supposed to happy, ya know?"

The two avians glared at him which instantly shut the albatross up. Nervously, Storm glanced over to me, but I wasn't sure of what to say. Last time I tried to fix a couple with Rector and that orange echidna girl Shade, he tried to snap my neck in half if Raine and Howl hadn't interferred. That, any Sonic was kissing Amy a few paces away from my near-death situation. Bunch of assholes.

"Well, this isn't very forthcoming is it?" The priestess began to chuckle, covering her beak. "Perhaps you two would wish to dissolve the engagement now?"

"Know what?" Jet snarled, fists tightly clenched. "I've had _enough_. I've had enough of this day, this fighting, this damn tuxedo!"

"So sorry, Jetto, but enough just hasn't been filled yet!" a malicious voice shrieked.

My heart stopped. Cowardly, I glanced back over to the white-robbed birds. One was the person I believed to have killed, again: Rodrigo was back. The other one looked rather familar, but he refused to take his hood off, while the other crow appeared to be like Rodrigo. However, his eyes were yellow and he donned some sort of armor on his red robes. I noticed Espio shudder again once his eyes met the younger crow's.

Rodrigo suddenly bolted up towards us, snatching Wave's throat. "Time for us to be re-introduced, descendant!" he cried, lifting her off her feet. Under his feet was an early version of Extreme Gear like the modern version except his was very bulky and uncoordinated.

The younger crow with the orange bird dived up at them. The stream of darkness suddenly blocked them from our vision with the priestess, and in a thick black smog, they were gone from sight.

---

**Wave's been kidnapped by Rodrigo and his entourge! Can Charmy and the other heroes save her in time? What's Espio feeling deep down? Will Jet and Wave reconcile? Will Rector ever get work for his team without getting beaten up? And will people stop asking these stupid questions? Most of these answers are probably no! XD**


	3. Wedding Bell Blues pt 2

Characters (C) Respective Owners

Ch. 2: Wedding Bell Blues pt. 2

This wasn't real. Wave didn't just get kidnapped. Rodrigo and his entourage weren't back. But it was real, and everything just went into a full-blown panic attack. The guests filed out in absolute pandemonium except for the heroes. Jet remained standing, staring at the spot where his lover had once been. The hawk dropped to his knees, eyes wide and sorrowful. Without warning, Sonic suddenly grabbed him by the scruff of his tuxedo. He gave a rural gasp at the heinous glare on the blue hedgehog's face.

"Look at what you've done!" Sonic shrieked, punching the hawk square across the face.

"Wh-what I've done!"Jet repeated incredolously. He hopped to his feet, aiming a punch at Sonic's face. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"

"Wave loves you more than anything, Jet, and you mocked her in front of everyone," he growled. Sonic gripped Jet's hands, blocking them. "If you really cared, you would've apologized right away!"

Jet froze, letting his hands go limp in Sonic's grip. Sonic released him, letting Jet slump back onto his knees. He trembled under the harshness of Sonic's words. Succumbing to his own selfishness, Jet placed his hands onto his temples and slowly wept. Sonic backed up a few steps before dashing out the chapel doors.

I had never seen Jet looking so pathetic. On his knees and sobbing to himself while heroes looked on in pity. Some left like Carnage, Psycho and Rojok, while most stayed. Cream flew over to Jet with his ears, standing in front of him. Soberly, she reached into her basket of flowers and pulled out a rose. Jet stared at it, tears stopping to accept it. Silently thanking her, the hawk just gazed at the rose, stroking the top part gently.

"It's sad that the princess was captured," a voice rang out. Our attention was directed to the top of the chapel. On a bar that connected to the restraints was the orange bird. He ripped off his robe, and I gasped.

"Cannon?!" Bean shrieked, staring up to his former leader. "How are you alive?"

"That's not Cannon," Stream proclaimed, glaring up at the falcon. "Who are you?"

"That's right," "Cannon" stated, leaping down. "You were his lover."

"Tell us who you are immediately!" Howl commanded, raising his sword to the back of the unknown entity's back.

In a split second, Howl's sword was met with a longer sword that size of a grown adult male. The sword was rather elegant looking, like one found during a time of peace with a golden handle and steel blade. The falcon suddenly socked Howl in the face, blocking Tomo's sword strike from behind with the blade. A second later, Tomo was found flying through the air and into the doors.

The falcon faced me. I finally got a good look at him: blue robe, white sash, no visible ponytails so his feathers fell in a spiral motion that reached half way down his back. Donning black steel-toed boots with matching gloves, his appearance was rather appalling to find in this currant century.

"Who are you?" I demanded, pulling out the kunai Espio gave me. When I defeated Rodrigo, Espio fixed the kunai he gave me.

"I am Tagio Della Volpe, Cannon's ancestor," Tagio explained, placing a hand delicately to his chest. "Now that the fool got himself killed, there is no more of my heritage left."

Jet stood, clutching the rose in his hand. "Shut up," he ordered.

"Excuse me?" Tagio questioned, glancing over to him. "Ah, you're Wave's lover. What a display you two produced for us. It could've been marketed as a street performance if you gave it a try."

"I said..." Jet yanked out his bansho fans, striking Tagio's sword out of his hands impulsively. "...shut up!"

Tagio cringed, falling over to the ground. Gasping at Jet's actions, he noticed that a tear had rolled down his beak and touched the side of his face. He glanced around, finding Bean and Stream. A demonic grin came to his face as he clutched his sword and swatted a fan out of Jet's hand.

"Bean the Dynamite and Stream the Albatross, do you not see?" he called, making both flinch. "This bird right here killed your precious leader, and in front of you, Stream. Aren't you the slightest bit..." He took a breathe. "...vengeful?"

Bean glanced over to Stream, who was shuddering. The duck glared back over to Tagio, demanding for him to take off the disguise. Tagio merely smirked, but his face fell when another puff of smoke came from behind. There was the younger black crow that was with Rodrigo and the priestess before. Snatching Tagio's shoulder, he whispered something to him that made him freeze.

Espio made a disgruntled noise. Vector shook him lightly, but Espio just kept clutching his head. The chameleon glared over to the crow before gasping. The crow had a mildly shocked expression on his face. The two of them growled at each other before Espio threw a bushel of shuriken at him. Before any hit, unfortunately, the crow and Tagio vanished in a pitch of black smoke.

"Anyone wanna fill me in on what just happened?" Knuckles asked, entering the church. "I just saw Sonic running out before..." He paused, staring at Storm. "ALBATROSS!"

Storm whimpered as Knuckles was restrained by Rector and Vector. (LOL.) I slapped my forehead, checking on Espio. When I asked if he was alright, Espio just sighed and covered his mouth.

"What's with him?" Amy asked, nudging Espio's head with her hammer. When he didn't reply, Amy "gently" knocked Espio over the head. Still no reaction. If there's one thing you should learn from this story as some sort of moral: Don't ignore Amy Rose the Hedgehog. Ever. Amy raised her mallet and slammed it down over Espio's head.

Yelping with pain, he held his head. Crouching on his knees, he feebly glared up at the hedgehog, but than got a panty shot and blushed. Thankfully, Amy had her eyes closed in stride, and Rector was trying to calm Knuckles down from killing Storm. The chameleon stood as I steadied him.

"That person was Cesare the Crow, Rodrigo's son," Espio explained.

"Rodrigo had kids?!" Amy cried horrifically.

"Well, of course he had to have kids," Stream pointed out snootily. "How else would Wave be here?"

"Watch it, Stream," Bean warned. "I don't think you'd want to end up like Espio with a massive bump on your head."

Espio cringed, rubbing his head. "As I was saying, I conversed with Cesare before Rodrigo was revivied through my wretched actions. Apparantly, Rodrigo sold his son's soul in a ritual with the other birds that worked with him to create and channel power into the Arks. The Master Ark was the one that created with the least darkness, but the green Ark was conjured with the most. I suppose it was the light energy that repelled the evil and controls gravity, if that makes sense."

"Sure, that makes sense," Nack muttered, rolling his eyes as Bark slung Tomo over his shoulder. "We're outta here."

"Wait, don't you three want to help?" I asked, pulling Nack's L-shaped tail.

The hybrid weasel/wolf snatched it away. "No thanks! If you saw us last time, Espio nearly killed me out of free will, and Rodrigo already killed Tomo the first time he was here, and now she's unconsious! I'm done with this stupid hero thing. Come on, Bark."

Solemnly, the polar bear nodded. Mouthing his apology to me, he began to walk behind Nack as Tomo gently stirred. He paused when Bean just grabbed his arm, yanking him backwards.

"So, you three are just gonna leave?" he asked.

Nack swatted the hand. "Yeah, we are! And don't even think about worming your snitching ways back into our group, you traitor!"

"H-hey, he was just as blind as Cannon and I w-were!" Stream defended, gripping Nack's arm. Storm's sister refused to give Nack any edge of letting go until he elbowed her arm away.

"Let me say one thing," he snarled, arms crossed haughtily over his chest. "Don't come to us if you need help." With those parting words, Nack kicked the chapel doors opened and stormed down the streets with Bark sighing and following.

Stream and Bean glanced over to each other and sighed. Sullenly, both of them walked out in the opposite direction of the Dynamite gang. We tried to get them to come back, but Bean just waved to us over his head.

"Man, Nack is a real jerk!" I commented when everything settled. Storm, Jet and I waited outside for the others to get Knuckles calmer so he wouldn't kill Storm. "Jet, are you okay?"

Jet stared at the rose he had dropped and flinched. Grasping it, he muttered, "Sure, I'm okay."

"You don't sound okay, Boss," Storm added, patting his shoulder.

"Maybe I'm the jerk," Jet concluded with an unpoignant tone. He slouched down on the chapel stairs. "I was so cruel to Wave just now. Ugh, this was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, and now it everything flip-flopped over to the worst."

"Hey, we'll save her," Storm coaxed, shaking Jet's shoulder. "Don't worry, Boss, we'll get Wave out of there in no time at all!"

"But would she still want to marry after all I said?" he asked depressingly.

"When she sees all the hard work we did in trying to find her, of course!" I cheered, nudging his elbow with mine. "She'll be all over you!"

"Just like in bed yesterday," Storm muttered.

Jet glared at him with a smirk. "Watch your tongue, Storm, that paycheck just might fly out the window, far from your grasp."

He winced. "Not my money! I already lost my girlfriend!"

The three of us burst into laughter. Though I did share their pain of losing loved ones; I used to have a crush on Cream until I found out about her's and Tails' little lovefest and blew up on them. I even called Tails an orphan, like myself. Orphan was the fox' taboo, and something I never ever called him again since he literally nearly killed me in a stranglehold.

Speaking of Tails, he popped his head outside. "Hey, guys, we got Knux to finally calm down. Well, we had to knock him out again since he was pretty much in a frenzy to kill you, Storm." Storm cringed. "Rouge just left with him since they left Tikal and Chaos to guard the Master Emerald."

"Oh, good," he sighed, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"He's still going to kill you when he wakes up," Tails added.

"Aw, man..." Storm's head slumped over, and he sighed. Glaring to Jet, he shouted, "Wh-why did you tell me to punch Knuckles?!"

"Hey! I never said not to!" Jet defended, leaping to his feet. "I only suggested it!"

"B-but you never said that I might die!"

"I never said you would live either." Jet merely shrugged, cracking his neck.

"Y-you would take the blame!"

Jet paused, scratching his head. "I did say that, didn't I? Oh well, I don't care."

My albatross companion sighed while I just nervously laughed. Staring up at the sky, I noticed that the horizon had changed drastically. Hues of green were in the sky with the sun setting with red and pink below with cobalt on time with violet, like the Skittles rainbow. The clouds waltzed around in the sky with the music of the wind blowing them by. Vampantly, the clouds stopped and remained stationary.

Glancing back inside, I noticed that the were hovering around Armand. Armand was clicking on his watch with something in his hand. There was Wave's red orb necklace being scanned over. A screen popped up, and Armand clicked something.

"Cesare and Lucrezia the crows," the tiger stated. "The only children of Rodrigo the Crow. Not fully siblings, but half. Man, what a player."

"Sounds like Dawg when he was at the club," Whip said, ignoring the glare from his dog comrade.

"What about that Tagio person?" Cream asked, flying up with her ears for a better look at their stats.

Armand pressed on Cesare, but suddenly, something fizzled out on his watch. Suddenly, my Ark and Jet's Ark began to glow, and than something just happened: Our Arks exploded. Pieces of metal flew at me, slicing my muzzle and Jet's face. Armand's watch suddenly shut down. The tiger hit it a few times, but the screen just popped back up and shut down, but than reactived.

"What was that about, Armand?" Raine asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I don't know," he honestly said. "That's the first time my watch ever-"

"Charmy!" Raine cried, cutting him off and flying over to me. She noticed the utter horror on my face as I collected the fragments of my Arks. "Your face is cut! Let me see it!"

"Yeah, ignore me," Armand grunted with a pursed, fake smile.

I ignored her as she doused my cheek with a vial of light blue liquid and swabbed it. She did the same for Jet, but kept glancing back at me. If our Arks explode than probably the other three that were on display at the Future City's musuem suffered the same fate. I stared at the yellow spot where it always glowed with light; it was dull, vacant, an unknown entity.

"There, all better," Raine grinned, kneeling next to me. "What happened with the Arks?"

"They just...exploded," I replied, looking over to Jet. He and Storm were gaping at the sudden destruction. I think Storm even let a tear trickle down his face since he gave his up for science to be studied thoroughly, but never to be actually touched by scientists. On the bright side, it gave him, Wave and Kiba quite the pretty pennies for their donations.

Raine covered her mouth daintily, picking up the last and smallest part. "That's terrible!" she exclaimed, dropping it into my hand.

"Well, maybe Wave can fix it!" I jeered, but than realized Rodrigo kidnapped her. Turning somber, I glanced over to Jet and flinched.

Jet dug his talons deep in his fist. Blood started to fall onto the ground, and he smashed his other fist into the ground. An instant later, Jet was on his feet and running back towards the building we were in earlier. Storm called after him, dashing for him with me. Jet kicked the door in and grabbed his modified Type-J Extreme Gear. Gripping the sides tightly, he glanced over to us.

"I am going to save Wave," he vowed. "You two in?"

Storm gave him a thumbs-up and grabbed his board. "Totally, Boss! You can definately count on me!"

"Just like old times, guys! I'm in!" I cheered, pumping my fist into the air.

"You got a board, kid?" Jet asked with a smirk.

"Uh, not at the moment," I explained, carefully choosing my words. "It broke on our last job against some creepy one-eyed killer with a hook."

The two avians blinked at me before looming over me. I flinched, noticing that the two had gleams of evil hidden in their eyes. Suddenly, Storm dropped an orange board with darker colored flames at the end of it.

"The newly made Type-C2, courtesy of Wave for your birthday in a few months," Jet proudly stated.

"But why'd she make it now?" I asked, inspecting it. Not that I wasn't grateful, of course, I really was! But seriously, was she that lazy to not just go out and buy me a present?

Storm shrugged. "She was lazy and didn't want to buy you one."

_Called that,_ I thought, throwing it to the ground and flying onto it. It floated and swerved like a dream with perfect balance and swiftness. "Wow, she really outdid herself on this one!"

"Yeah, that's what you said on the last ten before you trashed them," Jet retorted snidely.

"Oh, right, I kinda forgot about all of those," I replied nervously, Scratching the back of my head, I glanced over to the orange flames on my wrists. My blood still pulses with the pride of the Babylon Rogues since I devoted my services to them.

Jet, Storm and I burst out of the room with our Gears. I wondered how the Chaotix would feel since I just dashed off with the Babylon Rogues, but I just figured that if I waited them out long enough that they'd forget. Hopefully. Glancing over my shoulder, I heard Raine call back out to me so I skidded to a stop. What? I'm a guy. Guys got to be kind to girls or their older brothers get to lay them flat out onto the ground. Like Rector with Amy and her.

"What is it?" I demanded quickly. "If I don't leave now-"

"Oh, you didn't want them to know?" Rector cut in, glancing over to Vector and Espio.

Somehow, Vector managed to obtain Extreme Gears that the town loaned to us. By "loaned", I mean they gave him an Extreme Gear so he could shut up and stop whining about our overdue rent. Again. Espio leaped onto mine.

"Do you mind?" Espio asked.

"Not at all," I grumbled, glancing over to Jet and Storm.

The hawk stared over to them, watching Vector crash into a trash receptical. "We're so screwed. Let's go!"

He and Storm flew off ahead until Jet ordered his friend to get Vector. Audibly whining, he zoomed back and grabbed Vector. Thankfully, Vector merely crashed into the side of the trash so he wasn't covered in it. Yet Storm continued to moan over the grossness of it all as Vector literally hung onto him for dear life. Espio and I chuckled at his misfortune. Grinning to each other, Espio grasped my shoulders for balance as we sped off.

---

Time for:...OC Hour!

STARRING: GEMINI, DAMIEN, AND CANNON. Part 1.

"Wait, DAMIEN?" Gemini repeated, emphazing the dog's name. "I thought this was my show, Kiba!"

Kiba Sniper blinked. "Huh? Oh, what? No, I like Damien," she replied, patting Damien's head. "He's like the person you want to meet, but you never can. Besides, he gave me a Pikachu plushie, so he's in."

Damien sneered over to Gemini who responded with a glare. The show was originally supposed to be hosted by Gemini, but the producers decided for a cohost just for lulz and stuff. Besides, Damien's a _dog._ Only Kiba is afraid of real dogs!

"Anyway, our guest here tonight is Cannon the -emo- Falcon!" Damien greeted into the randomly placed microphone.

Cannon stormed out, glaring at Damien. Being the nicer one, Gemini shook the falcon's hand, and they sat.

"Before we get underway, let's just make one thing clear: I AM NOT EMO," Cannon growled.

"Yeah, yeah you are," Damien argued, cracking his neck.

"No, I'm not!" Cannon shouted, pulling out his sharpened fans.

Suddenly, before they could duke, Gemini split into two and restrained the two enraged fighters. Both versions Gemini faced the camera that was recording this...whatever you call it.

"Come back next week, and we can actually get this damn interview done," Gemini 1 commanded.

"It's biting my arm!" Gemini 2 screamed as Cannon began to chomp down on his arms. Once free, Cannon and Damien began to fight, and they broke the freaking camera so the action couldn't be seen.

---

Next: Team Up! Detectives and Thieves!

Will the Chaotix and the Babylon Rogues be able to work together? Why did the Arks of the Cosmos explode? Where the hell is Wave? And why is Tagio a rip-off of Cannon? I don't know! You answer these while I go fall asleep! *dies since she spent seven hours of her free time today writing this...crap.*


	4. TeamUp! Detectives and Thieves!

I got another student. He's Josky. Say hi, Josky!

Josky: *flips everyone off*

Good boy!

Characters (C) Respected Owners

Ch. 3: Team-Up! Detectives and Thieves

"Man, can you even drive, Storm? That last corner you took was pretty rapid!" Vector demanded. He was criticizing Storm for his wry movements on his board as Vector clutched onto him for dear life. Storm had a vein throbbing on his forehead, keeping his cool as Vector continued to ridicule him. "I mean, seriously, dude! Learn how to ride!"

Storm rubbed his forehead, glaring over to Jet. "I so deserve a raise for putting up with this...idiot."

"Hey! Take that back!" Vector ordered, putting some gum into his mouth. Snapping it loudly, Vector blew a few bubbles before it snapped...and got all in Storm's ponytail.

"That's it! I've had it!" Storm shrieked. Reeling his fist back, he was ready to clobber Vector until Espio, Jet and I restrained the enraged albatross. "Come on, let me go so I can ripe his throat out!"

"Storm, cut it out!" Jet commanded, gripping his right arm while Espio and I got his left.

Sighing, Storm dropped his rageful stance, relaxing. Rubbing the back of his head, Vector apologized while Storm just glared over at him once they were back on his board. I immediately knew that this was a bad, bad idea.

We pulled up to our old airship that was shaped strangely like a hawk. Jet pressed a code into the side of it, and the doors flew open. Instantly, I zoomed past anyone to my old room. Surprisingly, my room was still the same: orange walls, small bed, locker room-like drawers. Flopping down onto my bed, I noticed that I had grown slightly since my feet nearly reached off the bed. Two years really have gone by so quickly...

Storm peered inside my room, smirking. "Boss is giving your buddies the old tour. Espio seems way too enthralled by the controls on the airship."

"Espio? He's a little freak when it comes to computers and stuff," I replied, lying back onto my bed. "He's like a male version of Wave sometimes!"

"That bad, huh?" Storm sighed, sitting down onto my bed.

"You alright?" I asked, leaning up towards him.

Storm shrugged. "Well, let me just put everything on really light terms: Today, so far, sucked. Really badly."

I started laughing. "That's putting it really, really lightly!"

The two of us had a good laugh together until the ship started moving. I asked where we were headed, and he replied Babylon Garden for some obvious clues. He added that Jet had a sneaking suspicion Rodrigo's children and Tagio from Wave's files. Before he could say anything else, we lurched off the bed, and Storm landed on the floor while I used my wings to stay afloat. Vector suddenly plowed into the room, wobbling slightly.

"Uh, you two gotta see this," he sputtered, pointing down to Jet's command center.

The command room was where Jet usually piloted the ship with his pirate's wheel as we called it. However, Espio seemed to be ridiculing Jet's unorganized panel of levers and pulleys that controlled the ship. Espio pulled a random lever that swerved the ship sharply to the left until Jet knocked his hand away. The chameleon glanced over to the hawk with aggrivation in his hot stare.

"You know, you should try to label your devices," he stated monotoniously.

"Label?" Jet repeated darkly. "Ha ha ha! You really are a laugh riot! You know, none of this would even be happening if you had just stayed dead and not be so eager to come back to life through Rodrigo."

Jet's voice grew cold and cruel. A deceitful air flooded the room, and Espio's normally highstrung, prideful composure fell instantly. Taking in a hard breathe, Espio's eyes wandered to the floor, and he solemnly walked out the door. Vector tried to comfort him, but Espio just waved his hand lackadaisically. Vector paused, glaring back at Jet while he just blinked in confusion. Storm placed a hand to his forehead, shaking his head.

"Nice going, Jet!" I snapped, crossing my arms at him. "It wasn't Espy's fault! Maybe if you had been kinder to Wave at your wedding today-"

"How's that a factor?" Jet interjected.

Suddenly, a punch was issued to Jet's face. Espio lurched back forward to retaliate with a follow-up punch, but Vector restrained his arms while Storm did the same for Jet. I covered my attenaes as the two cussed back and forth at each other with abnormal glares that made them seem like demons.

I flew out of the room since I couldn't handle their idiotic brawls. Storm called back out to be, trying to hold Jet back from killing Espio, but I was too far away to hear them. I dashed up the stairs and into the attic. It was still dusty with boxes cluttered against each other in rows. I sighed, coughing out toxic dust which reminde me of the Chaotix' attic. I sat on one of the boxes before my stinger ruptured it open, and I fell in. Grumbling to myself, I felt something brush against my muzzle so I snatched it.

There was Jet with his father and mother. Accel had his arm on Jet's shoulder with his arm around his wife. They all had smiles on their faces which utterly stupefied me to no end. Gently touching the glass that held the photograph in place, I flipped it over and rad their ages: Jet, age six; Accel, age twenty-seven; and Rosalie, age twenty-six. Rosalie, what a beautiful name.

I couldn't help but ponder over why Accel killed her. Asking Jet would just make him miserable, and I knew Storm and Wave would just sweep right over it. Their parents died from Rodrigo and Cannon, but the falcon was brainwashed by him at the time with his fake beliefs and dreams. My parents were killed in the Babylonian invasion that was led by Accel when I just six months old. Accel was a brutal man, ambitious and demanding, but also calculating and spiteful. He would just breeze after good times, replacing them with horrid scrawls of decimation.

Placing the photograph backside the box, I carefully folded it back up. Thankfully, the shouting of Jet and Espio seemed to bleed out. Glancing around the darkened room, I felt a strange source of comfort in the eerie blackness. The only sound was my buzzing from my eloquent wings, but a sudden rumble clumped to the corner of the attic.

"Who's there?" I demanded, taking out my kunai.

A shadowed figure escaped from a random box, parrying my kunai with a long metal sword. Cesare the Crow bowed to me, showing utterly no emotion. Before I knew it, the Chaotix and Babylon Rogues surged upstairs.

"You!" Jet shrieked, pulling out his Babylonian fans. "What have you done with Wave?!"

"First of all, it's rude to wave those toys around," Cesare sniggered, waving a finger.

"Toys?!" A vien popped up into Jet's forehead, exhalting his fury. "I'll show you toys, you son of a-!"

"Honestly, you really are aggrivating to listen to." Cesare waved his hand at him, a sign for him to shut up. "Anyway, I've come to give you a mere warning."

"Why would you even have the nerve to helping us?" Espio questioned, removing his shurikens from his cufflits.

Cesare lowered his sword to his sheath, mindlessly wiping it clean like there were infections or germs on it. His gold eyes pranced over to Espio with a gleam darkness hidden in them. Espio placed a hand over his eye, glaring at him. I could tell Espio was having another one of those headaches.

_Could this guy be the cause of Espio's pain?_ I thought, staring over to Espio curiously.

"For one, I didn't come to dilly-daly or anything, but just watch out," Cesare warned with a tone of superiority.

"For-for what?" Storm stammered, clenching and unclenching his fists subconsiously.

"The Wave you once knew is nothing more than a mind and soul." Cesare's eyes suddenly slited, eerily changing his whole easy-going demeanor to bloodlust. My eyes bugged out when I noticed a heavy black aura surronding him with hauntings of death. Raising his palm, the aura suddenly surronded him, and in a flash of black, he was gone.

"...What's that mean?" Vector questioned once the awe had died down. "Nothing more than a mind and soul, strange."

"Who cares?" Jet growled, eye twitching with rage. "All I care about is finding Wave and getting that guy for insulting me!"

"Seems like you really cherish Wave," Espio stated, earning a glare from him. The glare softened when he realized what Espio had said. "Look, I apologize for me saying you are disorganized, but you really seem in love with Wave, am I wrong?"

Jet instantly shook his head in bewilderment.

"I won't stand in your way, Jet. You're the one that has to convince Wave to come back to you."

"What's that mean?" Storm curiously asked.

Espio's tone lowered to a haunting whisper. "I think Rodrigo-"

The ship took a sudden sharp right turn that threw us off balance. Well, not me; I was hovering. Espio's reply was long gone as we rushed back down to Jet's pilot room. Glancing over my shoulder, I stared at the photograph of Jet's family and sighed deeply. The sudden turn had thrown the picture out of the box, literally, so I threw it back in. This time, I placed it behind a few others so Jet wouldn't get anymore pessimistic.

Hearing Vector call out my name, I flew back downstairs. A sudden swarm of about twenty Slifers, a type of demons created by Rodrigo and his cohorts, had attacked the ship. The broke through the glass and shrieked inhumanely, a shrilly sound like shredding glass. All of them had sharpened talons with red tips. Blood maybe from a feast?

Vector sucked in large breathe and flames spewed from his snout, burning several of them, but Jet blew away the flames with his fans so nothing would catch. Some had burned to death while others were heavily scarred. Storm fought some off with his powerful fists while Espio and I hacked away at them with our kunais. One managed to snatch my throat from behind until Espio performed a handsign.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Like Vector, Espio spewed a large torrent of flames from his mouth, obliterating the Slifer.

"Thanks, Espy!" I jeered, slicing one that was ready to stab him in the back.

"What goes around comes around, thanks," Espio said vigorously.

On the contrary, Jet wasn't looking so hot. In fact, he seemed nearly asleep. Storm tore the Slifers with his hands, breaking them apart to get to Jet. Jet wobbled over, collapsing onto Storm's chest. Muttering to himself, Jet was ready to pass out, and sweat dripped down his face. Glancing over his shoulder, Storm shouted for some assistance as the Slifers started to haul onto them. One managed to scratch Storm across the face as he attempted to defend Jet with one arm and fend them off with the other. Vector dashed over, chomping down on a few of them in his mouth.

"...That's...that's d-disgusting," Storm murmured, a look of utter distraught vivid.

"Get used to it," Vector grunted, wiping the violet blood away.

The Slifers were defeated, but Jet instantly became our new victim. Storm set him up against the pirate's wheel, brushing shards of glass away from him. Vector poked him in the side of the face until Jet grunted. Jet's head rolled a few times before stationing at the floor. Storm glanced over to us worriedly. We tried everything: shouting, firecrackers, punching him (which resulted in Storm smacking Vector across the face for each hit he issued.), and even forcing Espio to make faces with his long tongue. Espio attempted to stangle me with his tongue since it was my idea. Bright idea, right!

Jet's head slowly faced upwards. Storm's face brightened when Jet re-opened his eyes, but instantly died back when he noticed that Jet wasn't speaking or even moving. It was like he was an emotionless, motionless, a little doll. In an instant, Jet hopped to his feet with a large demented grin on his face. Refusing to stop smiling, the hawk glared over to us with that sickening smile. His eyes turned slitted with a deep green hue to match his feathers, and he began to speak.

"Hello...long time, no me trying to kill you..." Jet stated in a voice that wasn't his own.

"Are you..." My voice broke off, and I gulped, "Is that you, Rodrigo?"

"Yeah, but I'm merely controlling Jet from my Babylon Garden castle," Rodrigo said through Jet's body.

"Okay, ew, that sounds like some Michael Jackson would say!" Vector cried, jabbing a finger at him. "Even though his music is pretty good." Everyone turned to stare at him horrifically. "Not that...I would know."

"Ooookay, anyway, let me just tell you all that you can't stop me, blah blah blah, evil laugh..." Rodrigo paused with a disgusted sigh. "Get that crocodile to a psychologist, sheesh! I'm outta here! Later, losers!" In the background, someone called him a retard, but let Jet go with some awkward swears.

Jet shook his head, and his eyes returned back to teal. Shaking his head, he glanced up to us. Casually, he wearily asked what had happened, and Storm filled him in. Usually, Storm would maul our boss with a hug, but I guess he was just too shaken up. Jet covered his beak in terror. Sullenly, he looked over to Vector.

"Vector, you like Michael Jackson?" Jet whispered, beak gaping.

"Darnit, guys! We don't have time for this!" Vector shouted with a slight blush creeping onto his face.

"For once, Vector's right," Espio agreed with a forced frown.

"Hey! I'm right way more than just once!" Vector snapped, growling at his chameleon companion. "Who was the genius, sexy-" Storm and Jet stifled laughter that Vector ignored."-one that figured out our client was Eggman when we were versing the Metal Overlord?"

"Vector, that was four years ago," I pointed out snootily.

"...I swear, Charmy, I'm going to eat you."

Jet adjusted his steering wheel back onto a steady course. Tapping a few buttons, a holographic screen popped down in front of him showing Babylon Garden. Jet explained that Wave had inserted a few cameras on their last visit with me two years ago. The screen divided itself into four separate parts. One showed the inside of the ancient Babylonian castle while the other three should sections of the marveled island. Jet tapped the one showing the inside of castle, growing larger.

There was the priestess and daughter of Rodrigo, Lucrezia with Tagio. Tagio was walking with her inside the room while Lucrezia seemed to be complaining about something. Tagio replied to nothing of what she said, angering her. Lucrezia stopped in mid-sentence rant to find her brother, Cesare, approaching them. She joyfully hugged him while he embraced her back. Tagio bowed his head at him kindly.

"Master Cesare, may I ask you a question?" Tagio asked respectfully.

"Oh? What is it, Tagio?" Cesare asked with mild interest.

"Why did you bring me back to life in the form of my pathetic ancestor, Cannon?" The way he spoke about Cannon was enough to make my blood boil. Jet's eyes narrowed onto the screen. Being the one who killed Cannon in his Shadow form, I wondered what was going on through his head.

Cesare merely stared over at him than to Lucrezia. "Simply because your body was completely mutilated with scorch marks. It wouldn't do to see my best friend so...disfigured to place it on light terms." His head whirled around when the doors crashed open, and Rodrigo stormed in outraged. "Father, what brings you here?"

"Do not play games, Cesare!" Rodrigo roared, jabbing an accusing finger at him. "What happened to the Arks of the Cosmos?"

"Arks?" he repeated playfully. "Oh, those bracelets. I just used my creatures to decimate them."

"Creatures? You mean that peculair aura around you?" Rodrigo fearfully questioned, noticing the aura was directed at him.

Cesare's eyes slitted once more, turning violet like Rodrigo's. "You're the one playing games now, Father. You caused the aura to embrace me when you sold your own son's soul to invent those gravity bracelets out of pure hatred. Mother was very...displeased on that."

Rodrigo flinched. "Vanozza, you...Silence! I created those for peace, but Stolen ruined everything!"

"How so, sir?" Tagio asked.

"Well, before I start..." Rodrigo's clever eyes diverted quickly onto the camera. "We're being watched by some rather ignorant brats."

"I'll take care of this," Tagio proclaimed, pulling out his sword. He leaped into the air and sliced the camera in half, but I noticed that Tagio didn't have the white flames on his wrists like Rodrigo and his children.

Our holographic screen fizzled out, and I pointed out Tagio's wrists. Espio suggested that Tagio probably didn't follow their beliefs. Vector thought all Babylonians were just whack-jobs until Storm, Jet and I took turns bopping him over the head. Espio rolled his eyes at our antics, and Vector's pleas of forgiveness. To which made Storm even more angry so he just threw Vector out of the room and shut the door.

"No dice," Espio stated as we finished beating Vector up. "They probably figured out that we are coming from a direct vantage point to strike."

"So, what now?" Storm asked. "We just lay low, and wait? What about Wave?"

"Perhaps I can assist!" Our heads turned around to see Psycho standing at the doorway with a beaten Vector in the background. "After all, I was trained by Freddy Krueger himself to be a dream killer. What'd you guys do to stupid here?"

"Psycho, how'd you get onto this ship?" I asked, swapping his question so no one could get upset.

"For the record, my name is Psyko, with a KO at the end," PsyKO said. "With these babies right here, I can just slice those crows up in their sleep." He showed us his wrist. There were four long knives that appeared to be attatched to his gloves or skin on him.

Skeptically, Jet crossed his arms rather unsure of what to say. "...Fine, but only if you communicate with Wave, and only Wave."

"Why not the others?" Psyko demanded. "I can injure or even kill people in their dreams like my twin Somatic. With one blow, I can probably take that Tagio guy out since he can't take his sword with him into his world of nightmares."

"No, I want Tagio for myself," Storm suddenly proclaimed. Everyone stared up at him, surprised at his statement. Cracking his knuckles, his composure fell to that of an angry mongrel as he growled, "Tagio's using Cannon's body, and Sis loved Cannon. I'm not letting him get away with it."

Psyko sighed, scratching behind his ear. "Well, whatever to that. I'll just go see Wave, but I can only speak to people when they sleep. Later." Psyko flipped us off with his knife and ran out before Jet could catch him. His laughter could be heard until he suddenly leaped off the ship. At least we had someone helping us. Psyko didn't even have to help, but offered his services out of kindness. Maybe he wanted money or something, likliest choices coming from him.

Jet screamed some profanity at the freefalling wolf before sighing. Slapping himself in the forehead, he muttered, "Why did we let him join?"

"To get information on Wave's position," Espio answered with nobility rising.

"That was a rhetorical question," Jet quipped. "Now that Rodrigo and his newest gang now we'll be arriving, I guess all we can do is just wait for Psyko's report."

Vector crossed his arms, seemingly disliking the move. "Than we should've asked Psyko to get some info on the his children: Cesare and Lucrezia."

"No, we've got Wave's technology to do that,," Storm replied, pointing down to Wave's room. "Wait...anyone know the passwords to her computer? We can only get in if we know her passwords, and they're pretty long..."

Nobody said anything, not even Jet. With no technology, we had no leads on Cesare and Lucrezia. We couldn't turn to Armand since his watch might've fizzled out again, and he'd definately stab us to death all if we broke it. Which I probably would've. Rubbing my temple, I glanced over out the window. The sky was still that vampant Skittles rainbow, but darker shades were starting to filter in. Night was falling too quickly than I expected in the spring, and I knew trouble was going to start.

"It's getting late, we should have dinner right now," Jet stated, consiladating us together into the kitchen. We had simple pasta, even though Espio kept raving on how much ramen was better. Storm backfisted him across the face to shut him up while Jet roared with laughter. Not surprising that it was Storm who made us the food since...we didn't know how. Aren't girls supposed to make food? That's what Jet and Vector told me! Blame them!

Once dinner was finished, Jet gave Espio and Vector the spare bedroom that Kiba used to sleep in. Storm gave a longing look to the room and sighed before heading to his own. Saying my goodnights, I flew back down to my old room and laid down. Staring at the crisply darkening ceiling, I kept a firm grip onto my light.

_This'll be a long night,_ I thought, turning the light off and shutting my eyes. An instant later, I was asleep.

---

OC HOUR

STARRING: GEMINI, DAMIEN, CANNON, and PSYKO.

In a hospital room somewhere in Metropolis, Gemini stood over the cursing Damien as he stared at his newly broken arm Cannon gave to him. Cannon was suffering from back injuries and a sprained wristm courtesty of Damien.

"So, yeah, let's just get this over with," Gemini muttered, facing Cannon. "Are you emo, Cannon?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I am not emo!" Cannon shrieked.

"Yes you are, and you claimed to not be emo at least four times," Damien interjected. "Which clearly states emoness to the maxium!" A syringe was thrown at his head, but missed and hit Gemini in the arm.

Gemini made a gurgling noise before falling over on his face. "Who got the winning lottery ticket, Mommy...?" he murmurmed just as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Damien and Cannon both stared at the unconsious hedgehog, well, they hoped he was unconsious. Damien knelt down to the fallen host and felt for a pulse on his neck. Cannon peered over at him, somewhat horrified at his actions.

"...You killed him!" Damien screamed, jabbing an accusing finger at the falcon.

"No, no I didn't!" Cannon defended, feeling for a pulse on Gemini's wrist. "...You moron! He's alive."

"His neck doesn't say so," Damien retorted. Cannon grabbed the dog's hand and placed it on Gemini's neck again. "...He wasn't three seconds ago!" Facing the camera, he added with a smirk, "Once Gemini wakes up, hopefully, we can get this interview over with! See ya!"

"...I swear to God, I need to write this on MySpace..." Cannon muttered.

"EMO!" Psyko shouted before running out the door and onto the streets with a handle of Tomo's delicates in his hands.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU PERVERTED CANINE!" Tomo screeched, chasing Psyko onto the streets with her katana waving wildly into the air.

"...That was a different ending than I was expecting," Damien stated, blinking. "I gotta get me some of those!"

"You're an idiot," Cannon sighed, covering his head with his usable hand.

---

Next: Slumber Meeting

**Can the two completely different groups work together? What's Psyko going to do to help? Can Storm get revenge on Cannon's death? Will Gemini wake up? Stay tuned for the next Rogue's Bee and review, please!**

**HI, READ THIS: THIS STORY WILL NOT BE UPDATED UNTIL JANUARY 2009. WHY? BECAUSE...DRUM ROLL PLEASE! *drum roll*...I'M MAKING Y'ALL PRESENTS! START KISSING UP, LIKE, NOW. :D**

**~KIBA SNIPER**


	5. Slumber Meeting

Characters (C) Respective Owners

Ch. 4: Slumber Meeting

Sometimes, I couldn't tell reality from fantasy. Half the time it was mostly me questioning my own sanity whenever I did, well, whenever I did anything really. On the contrary, to replace reality with fantasy would be splendid, awesome for the most part. Maybe if the world was just deviod of reality and swapped with fantasy, maybe life would be better for those that were in need. For the poor, for the orphans, for everyone.

But if this was fantasy, I'd much rather have reality. So, here I was, in a strange room that fumed with heat, steam and possibly exhaust. Coughing, I fluttered upwards, finding random pipes as I bopped my head off one. Yelping, I glared up at it, only to find my reflection against a large boiler.

Heat started coming out from the pipes in whistles. For a second, it was barely endurable before the heat started to slowly cool down to maybe a hundred. I thought for a moment that I was melting in a desolate sauna where no one would find me as I hacked for any sort of air.

Somebody reached out for me, grabbing my hand, and the heat stopped. Storm stared down at me for a few moments. His brow was covered in putrid sweat like the rest of his thinner body.

"You okay?" he gasped as we tried to fix the pipes.

"What do you think?" I snarled, stabbing my stinger into the boiler which ultimately halted the heinous heat.

Once the heat was normal, Storm and I started to walk (or fly for my case) around. The metal room was a drab yellow with pipes clogging most areas. It was tough to fully grasp the surrondings with all those damn pipes. However, we could never mistake the blood that was slashed all over the walls and the bodies of maybe innocent people. I thought I was in one of those Saw games until I realized there was no recorder.

I glanced around, finding Jet attempting to strangle Vector for some odd reason while Espio meditated in a corner. Jet suddenly stole Vector's headphones and threw them into the same corner as Espio, clonking him over the head.

"Headphone buddy!" Vector screamed, crashing into Espio as the headphones spiral over to Storm's hand.

Storm blinked at it, placing it over his head. Suddenly, he cringed and his eye twitched. "...W-w-why are you listening to Cascada?"

There was a moment of utter silence. First Michael Jackson, now a dancing blonde chick. Wow, no really, _wow_.

Face flushing scarlet, Vector snatched his headphones and placed them over his head. "You know, you guys really suck," the green reptile mumbled, glancing away.

Some of the pipes started rustling. Our attention was brought over to the large boiler strapped in the center of the barren room. The hole that I stabbed had something wigglingly out of it until four clear blades that were attatched to fingers ruptured the boiler. There was Psyko appearing rather strange with his eyes looking dulled, but sly in a sort of demonic manner.

"Sorry for the sudden outburst," the wolf stated, tapping his knives against the destroyed boiler. "I had to deal with a few...rats before visiting."

I recalled the blood that was splattered on the wall, but thought no more of it. Shuddering at the sudden coldness, I nearly screamed when a muscular wolf suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Ugh! You!" Jet shouted, pointing at the wolf. "You're Sarge!"

Sarge the Wolf, the bounty hunter that Rodrigo hired two years ago, but was ultimately killed by Wave, smirked down at the hawk. "Heh, what's washed-up and girlfriendless? Give up?" Jet nodded. "You! Ha ha!"

"Sarge, that's enough," Psyko groaned. "You already have lame jokes already."

"Why is he here?" Jet demanded, aggrivated at the insulting wisecrack.

"Hey, since I'm dead, I can go wherever I want. You can call me something similar to a restless spirit," Sarge explained, showing of his razor-sharp teeth that could probably break my bones. "Like that undead chick that lives in the well, Sadako Yamamura."

Sadako was the one that housed Vector during his times of death and Sonic and Espio at one point. She was really a 'he', but she insists on being called a woman. Freaky, I know. She still has Nack's hat, too.

"Huh, it's been a long time since I visited here," Vector grinned.

"She doesn't want you back, Vector," Sarge sneered, earning a glare from my boss. "She doesn't want me crashing there either. Wonder why...?"

Psyko rolled his eyes, completely annoyed. "Hey, I actually did my job! I talked to the purple chicken through her dreams, and-"

"Purple chicken?" Jet seethed, a vien appearing on his forehead. "You aren't talking about Wave are you?!"

"That's her name? Wave? Yeah, that's her," Psyko scratched the backside of his ear. Just as Jet was ready to slaughter him, the pipes suddenly wrapped around his body, encasing him in a shield of metal tubes. "Before I was so rudely interrupted, I've come with some valuable information."

"Information on anything would be an excellent help," Espio said, bowing his head graciously.

"Alright! A lead! A lead!" I jeered, doing a somersault through the air.

"Glad to help," Psyko smirked. "Anyway, to make sense of all of what I can do, I'm the apprentice of dream murderer Freddy Krueger. He taught me all this freaky stuff, and well, here we are."

"So, we're dreaming?" Storm asked, scratching his head in mild confusion.

"Right you are, Storm," Sarge added. "and since I'm dead, I can stop by whenever I want."

Psyko cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Listen closely, the perfect time for you to strike is tomorrow night at midnight. The guards, the Slifers, have all gone to rest. Rodrigo and his latest goons are asleep, except for Cesare and two people named Siren and Aliza."

"Siren and Aliza? Who're they?" Jet asked. "And let me outta here!"

Sighing, Psyko slashed his knives through the pipes, freeing Jet. The hawk cringed, noticing that a few of his feathers had fallen out. Psyko noticed that, but just smirked like he was up to something devious.

"Aliza the Dragon, one mean undead gal that Rodrigo brought to life to do Lucrezia's bidding. Which means in terms so you numbbuts can follow, Lucrezia's bodyguard," Sarge explained. "Siren, however, man, he just creeps me out!"

"Yeah, Siren the Sparrow, Cesare's descendant," Psyko sighed with his head hung. "He doesn't care for anybody. Worst of all, he used to be Cannon's and Stream's partner before leaving the group to come find and kill Wave."

"Wait, why?" I asked.

"Because she went against her destiny as an Anti Babylon Rogue. Siren does everything according to destiny, making him the worst guy you'd want to meet in a bar." Psyko crossed his arms angrily, shaking his head. "Gotta feel bad for him since he's twenty-two and still doesn't have a girlfriend."

Jet gulped, staring at his feet. If he and Wave hadn't been arguing, we probably wouldn't even be in this situation! I bit my lower lip, knowing that probably was wrong. Ever hear the old saying, 'Three strikes, you're out?' Well, that came to my mind since I killed him twice, and if we won this time, no more Rodrigo. That also means that I don't have to bear any hatred towards the Babylon Rogues' fathers, especially Acceleration, for killing my family.

Psyko's head was drawn back to a scrapping noise, perking up his and Sarge's ears. Suddenly, senbons needles came and nearly plowed Psyko's face, but he used his knives to guard himself. Sarge conjured up a large blast of electricity at the crafty intruder and fired it. However, the man skillfully dodged using some sort of flight Extreme Gear that looked strangely like Wave's. Dust filtered the air from the explosion, and we were blinded and gagging.

Once the hazy fog lifted, I exhaled my held breathe. Vector was hit over the face a few times by Storm in a panicky way. Pulling my goggles on that hung around my neck, I found an interesting sentence slashed across the wall with senbon needles sticking out. Psyko cursed, finding the message as well.

**RETURN FROM WHERE YOU CAME. DESTINY HAS CHOSEN LORD RODRIGO TO RULE THE MASSIVE, VACANT WORLD. WAVE SHALL BE PUNISHED FOR DECIEVING OUR FAMILY, AND I SHALL KILL HER IN MY GREAT ANCESTOR'S NAME FOR DESTINY CHOSE IT.**

"...Is this guy a crackhead?" Vector asked. "He has destiny in there twice."

"...Why does it say our?" I asked, but I wasn't answered.

"He ruined my wall," Psyko growled. "Freddy ain't gonna like this."

"Is this invader that Siren fellow?" Espio questioned, pulling out one of the senbon. "These look like the standard ninja senbon needles, but where could he have gotten them?"

"He's an expert with them from what Wave says," Psyko informed, yanking out the needles. With each tug, one by one, the senbons vanished. "but the only way to actually get into my crib is to sleep, and I can't sense him anywhere here so he must be awake right now."

"Psyko, what's the best time to strike Rodrigo?" Jet asked with his head hung low. "I vowed to get Wave back, and I won't fail!"

The dream killer glanced back at the hawk. Staring at him for a few moments, a smirk came to his face. "Tomorrow night at midnight, like I said earlier. The Slifers are usually dumb, and they can't see in darkness from what Wave said when I visited her."

"Thanks for all your help, I mean it," Jet sighed, a grin on his beak.

"Huh? Oh, no problem." He shrugged, glancing away in embarassment.

"So, how do we leave here?" Vector asked.

Sarge smirked, saying, "Leave that to me, kiddies!" Placing his hands together, a large wad of electricity came forth at us at "lightning" speeds. (What a stupid pun.)

I gasped, waking up in my bed right before the blast hit. Shaken, I stared up at my orange ceiling, hearing Vector scream from his and Espio's shared room. Fluttering out of my bed, I noticed that a senbon needle was afflicted in my mirror. Shards of glass were sprayed onto the floor while I was sleeping most likely, and the needle was stabbed into its center. Staring at the needle, I noticed that a red sparrow was hovering behind me with a light purplish dragon girl and Lucrezia. Once I turned around, they were gone.

_My mind's playing tricks on me,_ I thought, rubbing my head. _but why do I get this feeling that something's wrong?\_

"What the heck is my sister doing here?!" Espio shrieked from outside of my room. Opening my door, I found Espio and the others with Team Dynamite, Stream and Bean. Bean had bandages all over his body while Stream had bruises across her face. Storm just gaped at his little sister, unsure of what to do.

"Espio, be silent," Tomo ordered coldly with a bandage across her forehead.

"Well, what happened to you guys?" Storm asked.

"Oh, I'll tell ya what happened!" Nack roared, crossing his arms over a few stabs in his chest.

---

Flashback, Nack's, Bark's, Tomo's P.O.V

"It all happened last night," Nack explained.

_We were just finishing up Tomo's wound from that Tagio guy in the hospital when we saw Bean and Stream here running around into a back alley. There was this red sparrow with black slacks, two white belts lopped together, black gloves with silver ring cuffs with scars all over his arms and legs and a black cape with the Anti Rogue symbol chasing them with this light purplish dragon girl with white lines in her hair in a purple top and skirt. On her forehead was some sort of either a tattoo or a tribal mark with matching colors for her wings. They had them cornered, and the sparrow looked all apathetic at them while the dragon chick was smirking. Both of them had white flames on their wrists._

_"Lord Rodrigo wishes to have to you both working with him once more," the sparrow stated, "He shall bypass all of your previous betrayals for new loyalty."_

_"You're crazy, Siren!" Stream shouted at him. "I-I don't know what came over Cannon when he first issued you into our group."_

_"And it was destiny that I leave it for you Bean to join," the sparrow, Siren, said._

"Then Bean started to get all tough to probably impress Stream," Bark smirked, causing Bean to blush.

_"Yeah, well, you were a fool to even quit!" Bean roared back, taking out a bomb._

_I turned to Nack and Tomo, unsure if we should've helped or not. Being the idiot that he is, Nack was adamant about remaining where we were. We tried to talk him out of it, until Bean threw his bomb that exploded into mid-air. We dived out of the way, and a brawl ensued in the dust. The dust blocked our vision, but we could easily decipher Bean's scream of pain._

"We saw a horrible sight: Siren had his foot on top of Bean's back, holding both of his arms backwards," Tomo added, shivering lightly.

_"S-stop, what are you doing?" Bean whimpered as rain began to pour open from the heavens._

_"Destiny has chosen me to be the ruler of the Anti Babylon Rogues," Siren scowled, gripping his wrist tighter. "Prepare for a world of-"_

_Before he could finish his sentence, Stream was suddenly thrown into Siren's back, knocking him off. Siren winced, releasing Bean as the duck scampered away. _

_"Damn it, Aliza!" Siren roared, glaring back at the dragon. "Watch where you throw your victims."_

_Aliza smirked. "Sorry, Siren, I was having too much fun."_

"For a moment, I actually pitied this traitor," Nack mumbled until Tomo elbowed him in the ribs. "Okay, fine, ow! I pitied tra...I mean, Bean so that's when we actually decided to assist."

_I shot a few warning shots over Siren's and Aliza's heads. Bean was rather stupefied since I had a melt down at him in the chapel. Siren didn't seem to care about the bullets, but Aliza threw a rock at my head as a reflex, smacking me in the face._

"Which made my day," Bark grinned.

"Oh, go to hell!" Nack quipped, ready to go trigger happy on Bark's tail.

"Just let me talk," Tomo growled, stopping their fight.

_"What are you guys doing here?" Bean asked us in a scared tone._

_"Saving you," Bark replied nonchalantly._

_Siren pulled out an assortment of needles, chucking them at us that I blocked with my katana. Nack fired at him, but Aliza used a trash receptical that was nearby and tossed it at the bullets. Aliza came at me with her wings, which was something rather moronic since I could've easily sliced her in half with my katana, but she caught it and threw it away._

_"Little girls shouldn't play with swords," she sneered, ruffling my hair._

_I cringed. "Little" wasn't a word that I...appreciated being called. Nack, if you keep snickering, I will slap you upside the head. Anyway, that dragon girl aimed a punch for my face, but I dodged it and camouflaged against the metal building. Aliza flew up into the air, glancing around with unsurity._

_"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"_

_A jutting ball of fire spewed from my mouth, shocking Aliza. Since I'm a genius, it hit-_

"Or so you thought," Espio stated with a large smirk on his face. An instant later, Tomo's katana landed underneath Espio's chin. "...I'll shut up now."

_It hit, but was suddenly absorbed into something. A senbon needle suddenly absorbed the flameball, but burned out afterwards. Siren was held in the air on a flight Extreme Gear with Aliza behind him. Bark swiped his massive palm at him, but Siren skillfully swerved away on his Gear. Nack shot a few shots at him, but each time a senbon struck the bullet._

_"Oh, I remember you," Siren stated, devoid of emotion. "When fate had my ancestor Rodrigo inflict himself into Espio to stab you, I was in the stands. It was probably one of the only moments in my life that made me chuckle."_

_"Screw you, emo bird!" Nack shouted, firing round after round after round. However, Siren proved to be too swift for him, and he escaped with Aliza soaring by him with her wings. The weasel cursed at him while throwing his pistol at him, but missed and ricocheted off the wall to fire back at him. It nearly shot him in the foot, causing him to pale considerably._

_Stream and Bean just stared at us in completely shock. I helped Stream to her feet while Bark helped his long-time duck pal. Nack just stared at the sky where the streams of red glistened after him from his Gear. _

_"But why?" Stream asked, glancing away. "We all hurt you."_

_"Bean's still my friend," Bark insisted, glancing towards Nack angrily. "No matter what Nack snaps."_

_Nack faced away, grimacing at Bark's words. Bean tapped the back of his head, making the weasel twitch. Poke. Twitch. Poke. Snarl. Jab jab jab jab jab. Nack whirled around and snatched Bean's bandana, lifting the poor bomb-lover off his feet. _

_"What, Bean? What?!" Nack snapped, glaring at the duck. "Just what could possible make you so intent on jabbing the back of my head!"_

_"Uh, I just kinda...wanted to..." Bean paused, glancing back at Stream. Stream crossed her arms, looking rather annoyed. "Okay, cut it out with that look! Listen, Former Chief, I'm...sorry for nearly killing you guys two years ago."_

_"You're sorry," he bluntly stated. Dropping him, he just stared like he was drunk, again. "He's sorry, guys. He said he was sorry."_

"Nack? Are you okay?" I questioned, tilting my head.

_"The brat's sorry. He's sorry! Oh, it's only been two years ever since you blew up our house, and we had to move to giant scumhole known as Westopolis!" Nack threw his hands up into the air. An odd grin was plastered onto his face while his fang gleamed in the nightlight, making him seem like a demon. Prowling down to Bean, his eye twitched violently. _

_Fearing for his friend's life, Bark pulled Bean off the ground when he just stared up at him in bewilderment. Nack suddenly sighed, hanging his head to the ground. Thinking that Nack was calming down, the polar bear placed Bean on the ground. Stream dragged him backwards for his own protection. Placing his gun away, my husband sighed._

_"Ya know, fine," Nack stated at least. "You're forgiven. Yet, don't think I'm letting you off easy, Bean. If you wanna stay with us, you have to follow my orders. Same for you, albatross."_

_Stream flipped him off. "Why me?"_

_"Because you were a part of the conspiracy to help Rodrigo rule the world," I informed, causing her to glare at me._

_"Fine, I accept your terms," she muttered reluctantly as Bean hugged her. Stream punched him in the face out of raw anger._

End Flashback. Back to _my_ P.O.V, which is better than their's combined.

---

"So after the terms were accepted, we decided to come and inform you guys," Tomo finished.

I paused, taking this all in. That Siren guy was probably deducted as the one that attacked us while we slept. Glancing over to Stream, she kept her head low to avert from Storm's intent gaze. However, Bean seemed eager to reconnect to Jet. I mean, after the way he treated Jet two years back, he better start kissing up. Nack kept glaring side ways at Bark when he protected Bean during his wife's recollection. Tomo crossed her arms, glaring conceitedly at Espio.

"So, it's Siren and Aliza, right?" Jet asked as Bean nodded. "He was Cannon's old partner with you, Stream, but who's Aliza?"

"She's under a mind control like what Rodrigo used for us with those jewels on our foreheads," Stream explained, pointing at her diamond-less forehead. "However, Aliza is undead, and she has been that way for centuries."

"But how is she being controlled?" Vector asked.

"I don't know. Rodrigo only used those jewels for us," Bean added with a lazy shrug.

"Does this mean you guys might help us?" I asked with a small hope rising in my voice.

The Dynamite Gang all paused, Bean and Stream included. They didn't reply, instead looking all guilty and dissapointed. Tomo shook her head in uncertainty. Espio shook his head suddenly, and he began to chuckle. Holding his head up, his laughter only grew louder. I stared at him like he was doing a fancy ninja trick for profit as a woman wearing a leaf bikini. Try picturing that, fanboys!

"Of course, Tomo, you little bitch," Espio stated lowly. The curse actually his sister back in surprise. Espio kept his unremorseful gaze on her. He wasn't done yet. "You only thought of yourself and those guys behind you. You changed only slightly. The only time you actually cared was when you died with Charmy. Heh, maybe I should've been the one to come back with Charmy, and you could rot in Hell for I cared! Or even better! Rodrigo would've chose _you_ to come back through so I wouldn't have gotten ridiculed by Jet!"

Espio stalked off, shoving past her in surprise. Tomo just stood in complete shock. Nack shook her gently with concern before snarling back at Espio. She raised her hand to stop him with a look of contemptful pain on her face. Bark placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort, and he glared over to Espio as he slammed the door to his and Vector's room.

"After that, we ain't helping," Nack growled. "If you think that I'm going to let Espio get away with that, you're all crazy."

"Heck, even I didn't like that," Bark jeered, glancing back to Tomo's stricken form. "Let's go. You two coming?"

Bean and Stream stared towards each other for a few moments, being old partners and all. Bean nodded, slowly walking out. She sighed, following him as they left. Tomo closed her eyes, taking in a breathe.

"The best moment to strike is exactly what Psyko said: Tomorrow night at midnight," Tomo said, turning away.

"How'd you know that?" Jet asked softly, trying to not upset her further.

"Psyko and I...we've known each other for a long time. We got a vibe." The four other Dynamites touched her as she performed a handsign. "Ninja Art: Teleporation Jutsu." A gust of grey leaves surronded them, and once the leaves dispersed, they were gone.

I stared in silence at the places were they once stood. Espio, why? Why did he do it? Just because they wouldn't help? They already said they wouldn't help in the chapel. However, that was before they rescued Stream and Bean from Siren and Aliza. I guess Espio just thought time would change hearts, but I learned later that some hearts remained cold and distant for the longest time. Some hearts stayed hard that way in the face of death. I guessed that's how Cannon died with pain in his heart from Rodrigo's cruel betrayal.

---

OC HOUR

Starring: DAMIEN, CANNON and GEMINI

"You suck," Damien stated. "Interview over."

Cannon's eyes lowered, and he was ready to sock him in the face. "That's not what your mother said last night," he retorted.

"What'd you do to my mother?!" Damien bellowed, attacking Cannon while one of those anime dustballs formed around them

Groaning, Gemini rubbed his head. Yanking the syringe out, he haughtily glared over at the dueling dog and falcon. Rubbing his temple, Gemini faced the camera (They bought a new one with Gemini's money while he was knocked out). "So, yeah, our next interview is with the "Lord" Rodrigo himself. G'night."

OC HOUR END

---

Next: Mission: Rescue Wave!

**Hearts freeze like snow or bloom like a flower with warmth. Can they group rescue Wave? Why's Espio acting so cruel? Can they fend off the newest threats: Siren and Aliza? Should I want to be here right now while I should be doing my winter assignments and get those Christmas gifts done? Find out soon on the next Rogue's Bee!**


	6. Aura of Nightmares

This chapter was inspired by volume six of the manga/anime Rave Master by Hiro Mashima. Go read it, like, now,

Characters (C) Respective Owners

Ch. 5: Aura of Nightmares

The stars weren't out, making everything seem like an oblivion. Swirling nightmare crevices hailed from the ancient sky as no light plagued it. There was no moon to help guide the darkness out, but streams of purple gauges doused a few parts of the sky in wry lines. If there were clouds out at night, they only added a dark blot to the dreary, ebony sky.

I stared up at it, believing everyone had to gone to sleep. I was on the roof of the Babylon Rogue's airship, and in the distance was Babylon Garden's silhouette. Without any light from the moon, it seemed like a perfect spot for killers to swoon at. The grand palace for someone like Rodrigo.

For some reason, it seemed like Rodrigo was a bit more calculative this time. Last invasion, he kidnapped Cream and Raine, but now Wave? He was probably planning on riling Jet up for the grand coup. I wondered what terror they were placing Wave through.

Silence was too eerie for me. I was used to some sort of bickerment going on. Be it Storm or Wave, Vector or Espio, somebody fighting another. I paced back and forth with my wings as I replayed the scene with Espio verbally attacking Tomo. After that, everything just went sober. Jet had concentrated on piloting with Storm. Occasionally, we'd speak to each other, but it mostly quiet. Vector refused to give our lizard friend any sign of forgiveness, saying that Espio took it too far this time.

Something caught my eye: A shooting star that ended the reign of darkness in the sky with a single stream of healing light. It was then I remembered that when Jet wished on a shooting star, he recieved his Ark of the Cosmos and nearly killed us all. I clasped my hands together with a sigh.

_Star, my wish is for Wave to be okay, _I thought, applying pressure to my hands.

Releasing my hands, I noticed that the sky returned back to a morbid black ocean. The star lost itself to endless night sky. Feeling like my wish was in vain, I stared over to Babylon Garden. Long ago, an epic civilization crashed here, burning into a war that started by Rodrigo's betrayal and ended up with the thirteenth generation of the Babylon Rogues on Earth.

Someone cupped a hand over my mouth with a cloth. I gasped, struggling in this man's mighty grasp. However, he proved too strong, and I smelled some sort of drug in that cloth. Sleepily, I wobbled as the man released me before flopping over to unconsiousness. The last thing I heard was a victorious cackle.

---

I woke up in some sort of chamber. Bars had locked me inside like a cell you'd see on Prison Island with sand serving as the floor. Markings of an ancient language was plastered on the wall, reminding me of Professor Gerald Robotnik's notes on his prison wall right before his execution decades ago. There were chains drapped around my body, restricting any sort of movement. Struggling proved futile when I tried to wriggle myself out.

"Quite a tight fit, isn't it?"

I gasped, flinching at the sudden voice. Glancing upwards, I found Rodrigo standing over me with arms crossed hotly. I growled at him while he just sneered back down. There was a lever in his hand that seemed to connect somewhere.

"Just what are you doing to me, Rodrigo?" I snarled, wriggling again. "Tying me up to keep me as some playtoy?"

"Perhaps, maybe," Rodrigo sneered, kneeling down towards me. "Do you recall how you defeated me the first time?"

"I went super and sliced your thick head off," I responded, smirking.

"Yes, and the second time?"

"...I just kicked your butt all the way to the curb-"

He waved a hand, cutting me off. "With the assistance of the Arks of the Cosmos. Not to mention that I was growing tremondously weak in my Shadow form."

As much as I wished it untrue, Rodrigo had a point. Still, I won, and that's all that really matters, right? Nobody cares how you win, right? I paused, wondering what the others would say if I said that out loud. I gulped when Rodrigo suddenly snatched my chains, holding the lever above my head.

"What's that for?" I questioned meekly, stiffening in my chains.

Rodrigo didn't reply, but pressed it. Suddenly, the chains lit up with volts of electricity that sliced at my body. I hollered with pain, feeling the core of my body illuminating. Heck, I could've seen my skeletal structure if I hadn't had my eyes clenched. Rodrigo tapped the button again, stopping the torture. I gasped, falling forward. The chains halted my body, but my head stayed low as I gasped for breathe.

"You're...sick..." I panted, glaring up at him.

"I know, Cesare!" Rodrigo barked as his son dully walked into the room.

"You bellowed, Father?" Cesare asked, rolling his eyes.

Rodrigo nodded, and I noticed that a dark aura was surronding Cesare. He sighed, raising out his arm, and the aura slowly began to engulf me. I gulped, noticing that the monsterous darkness had _faces_ that were speaking to me. Words of pure hatred and death were spoken as they all latched their eyes onto me. I trembled as the aura grew closer. The motion caused Rodrigo to start chuckling, but Cesare seemed rather pitiful towards me in his stare.

"Well, brat, tonight's going to be such a joyous occasion..." Rodrigo kneeled in front of me, snatching my chin to force me to gaze wearily at him. "...for me, that is. Cesare, start the nightmares!"

"...Can't I just have a beer and leave?" he whined, making us stare at him with confusion. "What? I'm thristy! I do all the freaking work around here! The only guy that was nice to me that gave me a beer was the wolf that talks to me during my sleep, and I hardly ever sleep because of that aura you gave me!"

"Shut up, Cesare, and do as your father tells you!" his father roared, snapping to his feet.

"Alright, fine! Jeez, no respect, but don't worry..." Cesare's eyes glew an eerie grey as the aura turned to face me again. "...everything will go according to plan."

Suddenly, I froze like a cobra constricted around my body. The aura suddenly forced their way around me, blocking my vision. Rodrigo started laughing on the outside while Cesare groaned. The death threats from the faces screamed at me, and I just cried out in fear. Something cocked me over the head, and I fell back into La La Land with one word echoing in my head that sounded so much like Rodrigo's.

_Kill...kill...kill..._

When I woke up, everything was pitch black. Rodrigo was standing in front of me on some sort of royal chair that was drapped in white satin cushions. In his hand was a sword much like Tagio's, but the blade itself was blood colored with a black hilt. He was holding his head up playfully with his hand in a bored gesture. I began to flutter, finding no chains to restrict me.

Rodrigo ascended from his chair slowly with a pout. "Aw, I assumed those creatures would steal your heart. Guess not."

"What's that mean?" I mumbled, holding my head.

"Those are Mini Heartless, designed to infect a person with darkness in their heart and crush them," Rodrigo explained, twirling the sword around in his hand. "They obey Cesare, forming into whatever he wants. Heh, even a beer just to calm him down. Wait, so why does he yell at me than?"

"Stop rambling to yourself! You sound like Vector when he's drunk!"

Rodrigo paused, staring confusedly at me. Wincing, I immediately realized that wasn't a good idea when Rodrigo armed his sword out in front of him. I took a few flutters backwards as my sleepiness drained away quickly. Rodrigo charged at me, swinging his sword wildly, and barely managed to get out of the way with just a slice across my vest. Glancing around, I noted that the demonic crow suddenly dissapeared. Gulping at my own distress, I mentally ordered myself to calm down.

_Darn, he can be anywhere, but how's he doing this? The Arks were destroyed!_ I mentally cried, turning around several degrees.

"Charmy!"

I whirled around, finding Raine of all people flying towards me. She glomped onto me, making my face blush irrevocably. If blushes were tangible, the whole world will be entranced by warmth.I embraced her back, completely stupefied by her presence.

"R-Raine, what are you doing here?" I questioned as we let go.

Raine didn't speak. In fact, she just flew away from me towards Rodrigo's chair. I paused before pursuing her. Raine hopped onto Rodrigo's chair, even though I shouted at her not to. The butterfly just bore a hole through me with black eyes that weren't her's. I gulped, giving an odd smile.

"Uh, Raine? Where'd you get those, um, contacts?" I feebly questioned.

"Charmy..." she stated softly before her grin suddenly expanded like that of a Dark Chao's grin. Before I could comprehend it, a sword suddenly ruptured her from behind. Blood gushed out from her chest, and her heart fluttered out towards me, and I caught it. It still beat, and I screamed, throwing it towards the chair. It landed on Raine's lap, and I could see her organs...

Flying away a few paces, I froze entirely when it hit me: _Raine was just killed in front of me._

Stumbling, I turned around to find that she was gone, and so was the chair. The heart remained on the ground, but it stopped beating. I just fell to my knees, staring blankly ahead. I tried to replay the incident, but everything went blank in my mind. So I just began to scream as loudly as I could.

Rodrigo's laughter echoed around me, and his sword dropped down in front of me. I flinched, falling backwards as blood dribbled down the sword, meshing the floor with unbridled red. I gasped, scrambling to me feet as the red slowly began to capture the floor and the entire area in general.

I heard some sort of feminine giggling behind me. Glancing around, my eyes widened in completely horrified surprise: There was my deceased mother Flora with her arms out wide. In her hand was a lighter that wasn't on.

"M-mom..." I stuttered, staring at her through a dream-like quality.

"Hello, baby, I bet you're cold," she quietely hummed, raising the lighter. She flicked it on, dropping it into her gown. Mom was engulfed in flames, but a bright, cheery smile remained on your face. "Mommy will get you warm."

I screamed as the flames burned her body. I could see her muscle tissue getting scorched away, and her body rapidly desolved into some sort of fluid like a waxed oil. I stared dumbstruck at the mess before me. That was my first and only encounter with my mother, but she was already dead from the Babylonian assualt years ago when I was six months old.

"What the hell is going on here?!" I shouted to the sky as tears propped the edges of my eyes. "Rodrigo, where are you? Why are you showing me these things?!"

More laughter bellowed across the crimson area. I glanced around, wondering who would come before me next. There was some sort of air adjustment like a helicopter setting towards the ground. Cream happily flew towards me, leaning forward.

"Hello, Charmy, I bet you're thirsty," the rabbit sweetly suggested with her wrist held out.

"Uh, n-no thanks..." I whimpered. "Cream, put that knife away!"

Cream just stared up at me, holding a small utility knife in her hand. It hovered over her wrist, showing my reflection which was cold and scared. She just kept grinning at me until I attempted to snatch the knife away.

"Now, now, Charmy! It's okay! Drink as much as you'd like..."

Her blood splattered onto my face as she sliced her own wrist deeply. Her viens were etched with red and blue blood. Her lifeless chocolate eyes rolled back into her head as she flopped over dead. My body just froze as her blood trickled down my face like I was crying blood. Gingerly caressing my muzzle, I stared horrified at the blood dribbling down my ungloved hand. Panting, I fell to my knees as her body vanished into thin mist.

"Did you want something?" Storm hovered over me with his hand onto his heart. The albatross was grinning like a statue, mirroring my own fears. His fingers gently grazed my face taking away some of Cream's blood. With his free hand, Storm suddenly plunged his fingers into his chest like bullets before clashing his entire massive hand inside of him. "Did you want my heart? My liver?"

I gagged on my own bile, trying not to scream. I did, and it ruptured my dreams for years to come. Gasping as Storm's eyes narrowed down onto me, Storm just demonically smirked while laughing his head off. I whispered his name before he dissapeared. Sitting there, I just blankly stared forward, losing my ability to see and feel long ago.

My eyes snapped back to normal when I realized Cesare's hellish aura dissipated from my vision. Cesare lifted his hand, raising the aura back to him as it vanished. Rodrigo's beak gaped stupidly wide as his son.

"Why'd you go and rid him of the nightmares?" Rodrigo demanded, snatching Cesare's arm.

"Haven't you seen his face? He looks ready to puke," Cesare pointed out, glancing at me. "He can't take much more."

I just sat there, staring wide-eyed at them. There was none of Cream's blood on my face. My voice struggled to work, but those...those _images_ continued to plague my mind and body. Moaning, I clutched my head in agony, staring at the sandy floor.

Rodrigo paused, staring down at me with a heinous glare. "No, he has to be punished, and the only fitting punishment I can think of is to spend to rest of his life enraptured in darkness where his heart will soon end up in."

"Father, he's suffered enough," Cesare countered, snatching his arm.

Slapping his son away, Rodrigo snatched my attenae. Lifting me to eye level, I gasped at his violet eyes locking onto my amber ones. On eye contact, I snatched Rodrigo's cloak, making his gaze waver.

"What happen to my friends?!" I shrieked in a panicky tone. My voice trembled as tear started leaking from my eyes. "D-did you kill them? Did you?"

"No, we didn't," Cesare stated solemnly as Rodrigo threw me against the wall. "Those were illusions my father forced me to create."

Rodrigo snarled back towards his Heartless heir. "You presence isn't required here any longer, Cesare. Go!"

"...Reap what you sow, Father," Cesare growled lowly before leaving into the darkened halls.

"...Freaking emo kid. He's like Cannon but it's worse that he's my son," Rodrigo muttered. Diverting his attention back towards me, he sneered evilly. "In any case, let's get you back home where you can tell all of your little companions what mental issues you'll soon get." Rodrigo placed a hand on my head, muttering something in Babylonian language. A purple pulse appeared in his hand before surronding me. Rodrigo glared down at me with the poignancy of a judge giving his sentence towards the culprit. Something struck me from behind, and I cried with pain before slipping into darkness.

---

Something was stroking my face, tapping me. Someone was trying to wake me, but I groaned in response. A collective group of sighs was issued around me as my eyes slowly opened. Vector poked my forehead, telling everyone I was okay.

"Cripes, kid," Jet muttered, glowering at me. "You nearly gave me a heart attack when you were sprawled out on the roof."

I didn't reply, but I just stared wide-eyed at Storm's chest. There was no gaping hole to reveal his innards. He paused, noticing where I was staring to check his necklace. Shaking my head, I suddenly covered my mouth and dashed out of the room. Flying into the bathroom, I vomited into the toilet. Twitching, I could vividly recall all of the supposed "deaths" of my friends. Panting shakenly, I noticed Espio placed a blanket over my back. He wiped my mouth with a tissue, flushing the toilet.

"Charmy, what happened?" he asked as the others came in.

"R-Rodrigo...Rodrigo..." I just kept whispering his name, holding my head in sheer terror.

"He's in shock," Vector deducted. Picking me up, he added, "Let's go ask him later."

"Rodrigo...killed...they killed..."

"Killed?" Jet repeated surprisingly. "Killed who?"

"Raine, Mom, Cream, and Storm..."

Storm took me from Vector, cuddling me into his chest. I winced, hearing his heartbeat. His heartbeat instantly reminded me of Raine's stillbeat heart. Shuddeirng, I felt Storm slowly rocking me like a mother with her newborn child.

"Hey, I'm still here," Storm whispered. "So is Raine and Cream. We ain't dead yet."

Glancing up at him, I just chuckled lightly. Even though my laugh was fake, his words weren't. The albatross smiled, knowing that I was feeling better. Well, the yet part actually made me miserable for a few moments, but, eh. That's just Storm.

"What'd Rodrigo do exactly?" Espio questioned, earning a glare courtesy of me.

"Well, Cesare wanted a beer," I replied as Espio blankly stared at me.

"Oh, well, he always wanted something narcotic to drink when he visited the Purgatory," he sheepishly stated.

"Like you, Espio?" Vector sniggered, snubbing him. "You always wanted something to drink to dull your pain."

"I'll cut your tail off and mail it to Vanilla!"

Vector and Espio began to get in a quarrel. Which turned into a swearing matching. Finally, the bickerment resolved itself with a good, old-school wrestling match in the bathroom. The Babylon Rogues and I left, locking the door to make certain they'd shut up for a while.

"Why did we let them come again?" Storm grumbled, hearing some glass break.

"Because the others told them Charmy was leaving," Jet sullenly growled. "Vector didn't want the kid to go emo. Again."

"When'd I go emo?" I demanded, glaring at him.

"Just now," Storm replied cheerfully. I snarled at him, pointing my stinger at him. "S-sorry!"

Jet sighed, rolling his teal eyes. A remorseful expression crossed his face that halted our little brawl. The hawk glanced over to me wordlessly.

"W-what's wrong, Jet?" I carefully asked, noticing he had stopped moving.

"Did you, by any random chance, did you see Wave at all?"

The question struck me as odd for a few moments. Slowly, I shook my head with an apology attatched. Jet sighed again with his head hung low. Snorting with anger, he bolted down towards the control room as Vector and Espio began pounding on the bathroom door. Storm let them out while I flew after Jet.

"That's it!" Jet roared, eyes straight ahead on Babylon Garden. "Rodrigo's going down once and for all!"

"W-we can't attack now, Boss!" Storm retaliated. "Psyko said-"

"Forget what that wolf said! Charmy got his head all screwed up, my cousin nearly got killed with his group, and Wave could be dead for all we know!" Jet reasoned, glaring back at us.

Espio snatched Jet's wrist as he was about to snatch the pirate's wheel that controlled the entire airship. "Jet, please, listen to reason."

"Shut up, Espio! For all we know is that you could be in cahoots with Rodrigo!" Jet shoved the chameleon backwards, nearly falling over.

"You selfish punk! I've redeemed myself from that!" Espio cried, taking out a kunai.

"Everybody, shut up!" Storm shouted, silencing them. My eyes widened at the albatross. He had never spoken out against anybody, especially not Jet. "Look, guys, this isn't helping anybody. Boss, if Rodrigo killed Wave, he'd probably would've killed Charmy when he had the chance last night. Yet, he didn't so that gives us a good estimation that she's still alive. Rodrigo's cruel, but he wouldn't really kill someone so early."

Jet paused, staring up at him in shock. Espio sighed, placing his kunai back into his compartments. Vector whistled, patting Storm's shoulder. Flinching, he slapped it away with a blush starting to come to his face.

"You're right, Storm," Vector admitted with a toothy grin. "There's no doubt in my mind that your girlfriend's alive."

"Yeah, I'm still alive. That has to be a point in the right direction," I added. Of course, I had no idea at that point if Wave was alive or not.

Jet grinned at us, lowering his stance. "Well, alright, tonight we'll get her back and finish Rodrigo off."

"A-hem..." Espio tapped the hawk's shoulder, glaring at him.

"Oh, what now?" he demanded, eyes narrowing onto him.

"My apology from you. Where is it this time?"

"...I hope you go to hell, and I'm sorry."

Espio smirked, rubbing Jet's head. "Forgiven, and you're probably going there as well."

Both sneered at each other with coy expressions, probably mentally wishing each other to go to the place where demons spawn. I glanced out the window towards Babylon Garden. If we were going to save Wave tonight, that'd meant we'd have to face Rodrigo or one of his newest cronies. Cracking my knuckles lightly, I shivered at the thought of Cesare's aura.

_Kill...kill...kill..._

_Kill_ kept ringing in my head. Those voices were spiteful, high-pitched, and overall plain annoying. You know, like that Pillsbury dude. Man, I just want to rip him apart with that stupid laugh of his!

Vector snapped his gum loudly, distracting my thoughts. The crocodile noticed that the sky above Babylon Garden was darkening. The sky was vividly pale blue, but over the spaceship/home to the ancient Babylonians was turning deep violet. Some parts were even greyish black, mostly black. I gasped, feeling a chill course through my spine. This was exactly like me being wrapped in that horrible aura of nightmares. Holding my head, I gave a quiet grunt, but nobody noticed. Thanks, guys.

"Just what is that?" Storm silently murmured in an awestruck tone.

"We'll have to find out tonight when we strike," Jet confidently stated. "Let's rest up, and prepare ourselves for war."

"War?" I repeated in surprise.

"Rodrigo seems more intent on getting what he wants this time," Espio added as Jet nodded. "He mentally abused you, after all."

I nodded, glancing away. My ninja comrade was right, even though his son was more reluctant to assist in his dastardly plots. Cesare wanted a beer. Go figure that drunken bird out. Oh, did you know that birds can get drunk very easily? I learned that the hard way when Wave drank a little too much and tried to devour me. It wasn't pleasant at all.

We all parted, waiting patiently for night to fall. I waited in my room, staring down at my bed. I gulped nervously, unsure of what to do. Biting my finger, I winced when it started to bleed. My blood dribbled down my chin, which instantly brought back those painful nightmares. Sighing, I removed my finger and stared at my orange flamed wrists. I wasn't a pure Babylonian, but I still donned their prideful flames. Smiling to myself, I giggled to myself, having a feeling that everything would turn out okay.

Yeah, right.

---

OC HOUR

Starring: GEMINI, DAMIEN AND RODRIGO

"Who are we interviewing now?" Gemini asked, scratching his head.

Rodrigo stormed the room, glaring down in front of them. "Let's get this over with! I have a tight schedule which includes killing a certain bird."

"Uh, okay...Oh! Why are you so evil?" Damien questioned, cocking his head slightly.

"Because...I am?" Rodrigo shrugged, cracking his neck slowly.

"That sounded like a question to answer a quesiton," Gemini responded, earning a glare from the crow.

Rodrigo narrowed his eyes at Gemini who smirked in return. "I will kill your Alice," he growled.

"...Not if I get Lucrezia first!" Gemini shouted, leaping out of his chair.

"You leave my daughter alone!" Rodrigo roared, chasing after the duplicating hedgehog.

Damien stared at their tracks, blinking a few times. "Wow, something stupid that didn't involve me. Must've been the tranq that inflicted Gemini," he muttered, cracking his head. "I think we may continue this if they ever come...come...OMFG..."

OC HOUR END

---

**Nightmares plague Charmy for years to come of his precious friends and love. Will they finally save Wave? What is Cesare's deal? What did Damien see in the OC Hour? Find out on the next Rogue's Bee!**


	7. Mission: Save Wave

Characters (C) Respective Owners

Ch. 6: Inflitration: Save Wave

I peeked out the window, a chocolate bar in my hand. I remember that one little dog fellow that constantly followed Sonic around that had chocolate on him twenty-four/seven? What was his name? Oh, Chip. He was cool, a little annoying at times, but he provided chocolate so he was cool with me. I glanced away at the sky: pitch black with tiny stars out. I sighed, ripping open the bar uneasily. The sky reminded me of the aura Cesare had that tortured me with nightmares. Shoving the candy into my mouth, I instantly cheered up at the chocolate taste.

_Heh, I'm really glad now that Sonic recieved that crate of chocolate bars from Chip before he left,_ I thought with a chuckle.

Tonight we'd be rescuing Wave to see if she was even alive or not from Rodrigo. The thought of her dying made me shudder. She was like an older sister to me, well, a rather smart yet violent older sister. I winced, wondering if she was put through the exact same torment as me, but I pushed such thoughts in the back of my head.

"Yo, Charmy, we're getting ready," Vector proclaimed, poking his head through my door.

"Okay, I'll be right out," I replied. Stuffing the rest of the succulent chocolate in my mouth, I grabbed my Type-C2 Extreme Gear and dashed out.

All five of us huddled together at the top of the zeppelin. Jet stood in front of us with his remodified Type-J Extreme Gear under his feet. We followed his lead as we began to pan out. Thankfully for Storm, Vector managed to find a prototype Gear that Wave was working on for Storm. Jet gave us an under to fly low so that the Slifers wouldn't spot us. Espio glanced over to me with a glance that clearly read that Jet was grating his nerves.

Glancing over my shoulder, I gawked at the Babylon Rogue's airship for a few moments: It was landing itself on the sand. I diverted my attention over to Storm, asking how it happened.

"Wave added a few new functions to the ship," Storm informed. "She added a new auto-pilot system that Boss can control with his Extreme Gear. By leaning backwards, he landed the ship and shut it off."

"Like motion control?" Vector deducted.

"Yeah, but this ain't the time to be gaping at Wave's handiwork!" Jet shouted, increasing his speed gradually. "We have to save Wave, not gape at her genius."

"For once, Jet's right," Espio snickered, earning him a glare from the emerald hawk.

The five of us swarmed the floating gem in the sky, but the darkness seemed to average out the magic to a ruined castle of death. The roads were paved in cobblestone and granite, illuminating at the keen lights that hovered on nearby poles. A few Slifers were awake, but most of them were either drunk or asleep with old Extreme Gears in their hands. The Gears looked like miniature airplanes fit for skydiving. Compensating, the the Slifers that were awake seemed more intent on fooling around with each other in brawls that watching for intruders such as us.

"Hey, cut that out!" a feminine voice shouted. The five of us hid in seperate bushes that were near the casle. Aliza the Dragon snatched a duking Slifer and snap his neck. "Do you fools honestly want to get killed like your buddy there?"

Espio took a hard stare at her forehead. "Look at those three lines on her forehead. They're black with a purple aura fuming out of them. Doesn't that remind you of Rodrigo?"

"Yeah, it's like how Rodrigo controlled Cannon and the others, but no jewel," Storm added with a nod.

"So, she's under mind control like what Psyko said," I concluded. "We should get moving."

"What about her?" Vector asked.

"We can fret about dragon girl later," Jet snapped. "Let's go find Wave already."

We took off in the opposite direction. Espio lagged because of his inexperience with Extreme Gear, but I dragged him along. He fumbled with his board, taking random swerves. Jet mumbled a few insults, but Espio remained collective under the pressure of the "leader"'s hot glare.

"Yo, check this out," I called, stopping behind the castle.

What I had discovered was a back entrance made a faulty metals. Vector and Storm grabbed the hinges, tearing the door straight off. Jet plowed in ahead, but Vector snatched the scruff of his neck. He warned him to be tentative in our motivations if we wanted Wave back. Jet instantly agreed. There was perilous desperation in his eyes, and I knew that he immediately regretted the fight at the alter. If he hadn't been so selfish, or if he made up a random vow on the spot, this probably could have been avoided.

The interior of the back entrance was decorated in pitifully adorned walls with strange garments from old times. I was tempted to snag a golden cup that rested on a table, but Vector slapped my hand away. Storm snatched it, placing it in his jacket. Around us was simplistic darkness, a typical factor in the "haunted castle" jive. Another typical part was that there was a door leading down at the entrance with proved mighty suspicious. Jet peeked his head through before dashing back inside.

"Slifers," he informed. "They seem to be heading somewhere."

We carefully peered out, watching as the Slifers flew sloppily down the crowded halls. They shoved each other, crashing into walls and scrapping off the golden decor`. Storm and Jet openly groaned at the their ancestral home's destruction, but it went unnoticed. Wow, aren't we jerks. Once they all dispersed, we sped out so we wouldn't get caught.

"So, where to?" Vector questioned, wobbling slightly on his Gear.

"Keep your feet straight," Jet hissed. "Let's check the cells."

Storm and Vector change to a Bike Gear style while I swapped mine for a Flight Gear. Espio and Jet kept standard boards. I cringed mentally about returning to the cell chambers since that's where my nightmares occured. Shaking my head at my cowardice fear, I placed my goggles over my eyes as standard procedure in a heist.

The cell were exactly as I remembered them, except for the random skeletons and bones fragments that were lackadaisically thrown around. We landed and began to walk around. The sand covered up several body parts that Jet skillfully pointed out with his superior hawk eyes. The cells were open, and it reeked of recent blood splatters. There were deceased Slifers on the ground with their faces twisted in unimaginable horror with yellow blood oozing from their eyes and mouths which caused the foul smell. Storm craned his neck around, staring at the door we just came in through. He shivered before turning back around.

"I don't sense Wave here," Espio stated suddenly. "However, there are faint traces of a familar energy coming from behind us." He pulled out an assortment of shuriken and tossed them at the sky. "Prepare for combat!"

A graceful figure swooped out from the sky, presenting himself as Sirin the Sparrow. Sirin blocked each shuriken with a senbon, but failed to notice the bomb placed on the last one. He leapt away from the explosion with an emotionless face on.

"Destiny has brought you quite far," the scarred sparrow noted. He grasped several senbon from a small bag attatched to his theigh. "However, I simply cannot allow you to pass."

"I will handle him!" Espio cried as he tossed several kunai at the senbon. "He is similar to me in movements and style, so leave him to me!"

"Roger that, Espy!" Vector jeered. "Let's go guys!"

"I really wish you'd stop calling me that," he moaned, rolling his eyes.

"And I wish you'd pay attention," Sirin sneered as he sliced Espio's arm. Espio winced, cursing himself for his inability to pay attention. "Your sister was a far better opponent then you."

"Don't bring her up!"

"Come on, we don't have time to waste!" Jet ordered as he hopped back onto his Gear with Storm. "Espio, catch up with us!"

"Good luck!" Espio called as he and Sirin clashed once more.

I closed my eyes, wishing Espio luck. Once we escaped the cell chamber, the alarms blared on. Jet rolled his eys, cursing pitifully. Slifers started coming at us with no leader, all schreeching like newborn babies with sharpened gloves and bony wings. Ew, what an ugly baby like Vector when he was born. That probably means he's going to kill me after writing this story. Perfect.

Vector dashed at them on his riding Gear with a broad grin. Heaving backwards, he lurched in the same direction with his head before spewing a torrent of flames. A few clever Slifers managed to move out of the way, but Slifers were generally stupid. That resulted in several of them getting burned to a crisp or having them lit on fire. I burst into laughter as I watched them run around screaming in high-pitched voices. I glanced over my shoulder at Vector blinking as he started to perform a victory dance. Storm cuffed him over the head, telling him to knock it off.

Jet was already dashing down the halls, and the only thing we could see of him was the fading jade light from his Extreme Gear. Storm shouted after him, pelting after him loyally. I rolled my eyes, rubbing my temple lightly as I rushed after them. Vector, suddenly taking notice that we were gone, openly whined and chased after us before bashing a few of the remaining Slifers in the face.

"If Wave wasn't in the cells, where could she be?" Vector questioned as the alarms went off.

"I don't know, but I'm just wondering on why the alarms suddenly went off," Storm replied.

"You don't it had anything to do with Espio, do you?" I asked worriedly.

"No, your friend's too tough to lose to some sparrow," Jet stated. "Maybe Wave's with Rodrigo. It's the only other possible solution!"

"Good idea, but where's Rodrigo?" I pondered as the lights around us slowly dimmed.

We leaped off our boards, catiously walking around in case of the alarms blaring again. I wondered what became of the fight with Espio. I mean, we just left him to take care of a fatilistic spawn of a demon we all know as Cesare. I gulped nervously, and thankfully the darkness covered the nervousness that was etched onto my face. Staring around, I started to flutter off to a large metal door. It had some sort of of Babylonian writing on it with a keypad on the side. I shoved against it, and it creaked open, allowing a tarnished grey light subjagate the hallway. Peering inside, I couldn't see much except for a table and a large machine behind it. There was a small emblem of a deformed heart with the appearance of like a chain of thorns surronding the heart on the machine. Curiousity got the better of me, forcing me to flutter over towards it.

Like any classic, golden horror movie, the heavy doors pelted shut behind me. Cringing at the noise, I gulped as I pulled futiley on the icy steel bars. Heaving in a sigh, I cursed myself for my curiousity. The old saying was true: Curiousity killed Blaze and Big, I mean, the cats.

The emblem on the machine slowly glowed a glorious sun color, forcing me to shield my eyes. Someone's feet started shuffling towards the machine, an I just shrank to my miniature size. My tiny form was just the size of a quarter of an inch, and I could make out a few shadowy figures scrawling alongside the wall.

Cesare was creeping along sleathily with Tagio at his side. Like he was paranoid, Cesare quickly glanced about before nodding his head at Tagio. The resurrected falcon walked towards a panel of button on the side of the machine, and he tapped in a series of memorized buttons. The lights quickly flashed on, making me wince. I exhaled in pain, shielding my eyes.

The machine had five slots in it for cyclindrical objects, and a metal table was lying adjacent to it. Wires of several lengths suddenly appeared from the machine as Tagio pressed another button. Cesare sat on the table, hunching over as Tagio placed a few wires onto his chest, face, arms, and legs.

"Cesare, are you...?"

"Silence." Cesare cut him off with a low growl. "Tagio, just start the machine up or Father will get intrigued by the loss of the Arks of the Cosmos once more."

Tagio nodded, and he began to press another complicated button controls before moving towards a lever. Cesare nodded, and Tagio hung his head lowly. I leaned in closer, fluttering towards the table to watch. Tagio gripped the lever tightly before throwing it. Cesare's aura appeared once more, and it seemed to be chasing along the wires in the machine. Cesare's head sweeped upwards as his shriek of pain rushed through the room. Tagio just stood in the corner with his eyes shut firmly as his master's screams bore too much on him. I cringed, watching as the wires began to move around his body once he fell limp. The aura faded once his body clattered to the floor, and Tagio switched the lever upwards to stop the wires. The wires vanished back in the machine, and it began to glow a brutal scarlet.

"Excellent work, Cesare." Rodrigo malevolently cooed, appearing from the back of the machine, exposing a door. In his hand was a small circular object with a black jewel embedded into it. "The creation of the new Ark of the Cosmos was a complete success. Not to forget to mention that the extra energy we got from your Heartless prowess executed perfectly into my Slifer Heartless machine. Now more can be conjured with a press of a button."

Tagio grasped Cesare's arm as his son panted heavily. Cesare yanked his arm away in disgust. "Don't worry, Father, I'll be around to help you as Vanozza wished me to right before she died."

Rodrigo froze, and I wondered who this "Vanozza" was. Cesare stated that Vanozza was a she, but who exactly was she to Rodrigo? He coughed, placing his hand over his chest in a remourse gesture. Cesare smirked, his eyes glowing grey. Rodrigo's eyes turned an eerie jade as they glared at each other.

"Don't tempt me, _son_, things may just come falling to pieces around you," Rodrigo threatened; his newest Ark glew brightly as he levitated off the ground.

"Lord Rodrigo, please forgive my leige," Tagio begged, bowing his head in respect.

"At least one of you has a brain." Rodrigo flew past them, but paused when the alarm system went off again. "Again? Wave! Where is she?!"

I winced, not wanting to be around any longer. Zooming out of the room, I covered my attenaes as the alarms blared all around me as I poofed back into my normal form. I held onto my Extreme Gear that had shrunken with me, and I heard Rodrigo's ranting while Cesare just roared back at him. Dashing off in the hall, I chuckled to myself at their bickering.

"Charmy!"

I turned around before a large hand clasping my face. Storm glared down at me with frantic eyes. Vector fumbled up behind us, nearly crashing into a wall. Correction: He waved at us before smashing into a wall.

"W-where have you been?" Storm hissed.

"Dude, I just learned that Rodrigo made a new Ark of the Cosmos! He's making more Slifers and Arks with Cesare's aura," I explained.

"You're kidding," Vector gasped, steadying himself on his board. Before he tripped over again and landed flat on his face.

"Okay, we'll take Jet once we find him," Storm explained, releasing me. "Have you seen him, by the way?"

"He left!" I cried with a gape. "When?"

"Once you suddenly ran off, and I'll take it you didn't see him judging your surprise," Vector noted with a grin. "Come on, let's find Wave. If Espy can handle himself, so can Jet."

I nodded with Storm. However, the albatross bit his finger uncertainly. When I asked if he was okay, he just grimly nodded like someone was hovering over his shoulder for the past several years. Of course, I'd take that to be nearly everybody. Someone was always watching Storm's movements, turning him into a loyal robot that would do whatever Jet ordered with hardly any hesitation. In some cases, I pitied him, but Storm seemed to like obeying him, and I could never see why at my young age.

We literally tore through Slifers that tossed themselves at us. I winced when a random Slifer nicked my shoulder, but I elbowed it out of my way. Storm and Vector charged out in front, throwing punches left and right to divert them. Storm charged his Extreme Gear to a Bike version, and he literally plowed into each Slifer he could find. I blinked, hacking away at the Slifers with my red kunai knife Espio gave me as a parting gift when he was in the Purgatory. Wondering what drove Storm seemed to waste my time, and I just followed him and Vector.

Storm paused suddenly which resulted in me and Vector crashing into him. The Slifers chasing us burst into laughter until Vector showed them his massive, sharp, sterile teeth. The demonic birds shrieked and ran away in complete fear.

"Nice, Vector," I complimented, watching as they fled.

"Aaaah, it's all in the sheen of my teeth!" Vector jeered, smirking. His canines glew brightly in the morbid halls of Babylon Garden's castle.

"Uh, disturbing. Why'd you make us stop, Storm?" I questioned as Storm started to walk off by himself.

"Well, if you two had hearing at all, you'd be listening to someone crying down here," Storm explained, pointing down another corridor.

We remained silent as a soft, feminine whimper filled the air. It was like listening to a dying girl breathe her last words to her lover. Slowly, we began to saunter (in my case, hover) towards the hum of a sob. The walls around us were all crumbly with stains on them resembling blood splatters. Trembling at what occured, I decided to place all assumptions into the back of my mind.

Right at the end was a cell like mine, but no sand. Instead there was an assortment of Babylonian scrawls written on the back wall. A violet swallow wearing a dirty, torn white wedding dress was slumped in a corner like she was ready to shrivel up and just die. She flinched at our sudden footsteps and slowly craned her head towards us.

"Wave!" Storm and I shouted silmultaneously as her eyes brightened.

"I thought you guys had given up on me," she mumbled sadly as stumbled to her feet.

"Why would we give up?" Storm questioned. "Your our friend, Wave. Besides, Boss was eager to come save you!"

"Oh, really? After what that arrogant hawk said at the alter, it's going to take alot more than just this rescue mission to take me back!"

Storm rolled his eyes and sighed hotly. "Wave, Jet was completely worried about your well-being the entire time. He even almost convinced to attack sooner against Psyko's warning."

The swallow paused, eyes dialating in shock. "...I wouldn't be so certain."

"What do you mean, Wave?" I asked curiously.

"First, get me out of this filthy cell! It's getting stains all over my dress!" she commanded, pointing at the lock on the door.

Inserting my stinger into the keyhole, Storm and I tried to wriggle the lock open. The lock broke off, but that didn't assist in freeing Wave. Vector grinned, stating that he had an idea. In a swift movement, Vector balanced his jaw into the steel bars that trapped her. Wave and Storm both flinced the second his powerful teeth snapped through the metal like chomping on a hard candy. Wave scurried to the corner in unadulterated fright, and I honestly wouldn't blame her. When I first saw Vector's jaws mutilate one of Dr. Eggman's robots, I had nightmares of him eating me for weeks. The same can be said for Espio. After convincing her that Vector wouldn't devour her, Wave stepped out timidly, clutching her wedding gown.

"So, whaddya mean by that you wouldn't be so certain?" I repeated.

"Well, I saw Jet running towards me without you guys, so I assumed he went off by himself. However, once Jet looked at me, he sneered and dashed off in another direction," Wave informed with a seldom twinge of hopelessness on her voice.

"Th-that could not have been Boss," Storm insisted.

"I saw him with my own two eyes, Storm!" Wave argued, glaring up at him.

Instead of starting a fight, he just glanced away with a cloud of misery glooming over his head. It was strange since Storm would always defend Jet no matter what evidence proved him guilty. Deciding to clear the mood up, I suggested that we go find Jet and get some straight answers. Vector was quick to take me up on my deal while Wave nodded. Storm hesitated before nodding his head as well.

Wave pointed out the direction Jet went which was the exact same way we came in. I still felt a rather fishy feeling about the whole ordeal about Jet running away. He was lazy, selfish, but he would never, not in a trillion years leave one of his own behind, especially the one who would hopefully become his wife. However, Jet was also notorious in getting what he wanted, and alot of girls (guys in some cases, but I'll leave that to your imagination, and no, not Storm.) had eyed the hawk before. In some cases, he went along with it, but Wave slapped him silly with her Wrench O' Doom right afterwards. In my mind, I believe that Jet was simply...lovable? No, maybe...seriously, why do people like him? Why not me? I'm cute and adorable! Lame, man, lame.

...Oh, if you read this Raine, please don't kill me. Please?

Now that the stupidity of my jealousy for Jet is over, let's get back to the action. Wave was muttering over how much she'd give Jet a wailing while Vector snickered, offering her assistance. Storm remained in the background, staring at the blood splattered walls. He stopped dead in his tracks, making me halt. Wave and Vector glanced over their shoulders to the albatross. He placed his hand on the wall before gliding it down, and it bumped against something that wasn't there.

"Um, g-guys? I think I just found a doorknob," he proclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Impossible," Wave snapped, grabbing the same spot where Storm's hand was. Suddenly, a _click!_ rung through the air as their hands moved to the left like they were opening a door together. "I stand corrected, Storm. Nice work."

"Heh, thanks, Wa-!" Storm was unable to finish his sentence, and his hand dropped slowly in pure shock. Wave gasped, eyes tightening with fear. I froze, falling to my feet since the scene before me utterly horrifed me.

"Jet...why?"

---

OC HOUR

STARRING: DAMIEN, GEMINI, RODRIGO, and...MARINE?

Damien's mouth had dropped open in pure shock. Gemini came back with a bloody nose while Rodrigo's arm was in a sling. They stared at the dog for a few moments. Gemini poked his cheek, but remained unresponsive. Rodrigo, using his free hand, slapped Damien over the head. Damien yelped, holding his head in pain with one hand while pointing at something. Rodrigo and Gemini exchanged looks with each other before looking.

There was a space/time portal in the wall. A little girl was dancing with half of her body visible, singing the Sailor Moon theme song while wearing a matching costume.

"...What in the hell are you?" Rodrigo asked, eyeing the figure strangely.

A small raccoon girl suddenly leaped into Gemini's arms, frightening him to no end. "Heyas! I'm Marine the Raccoon, mates! I'm just looking 'round for my pop!"

Gemini dropped the girl, sighing, "Well, he's not here."

"No way, buddy, he is here in this very establishment," Marine proclaimed.

"Oh, where?" Damien asked, tilting his head.

Marine pointed up to Rodrigo, and Gemini's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fainted again. Damien pretty muched found the entire charade lulz-worthy and laughed. Rodrigo stared at the little pirate girl that was hugging his leg before grinning.

"Aw, what a good girl!" Rodrigo cooed, hugging his "daughter".

That's when Damien stopped laughing, stared at the sap-happy crow and raccoon before imitating Gemini and fainted as well.

---

**Cliffhanger, lulz. What did Jet do? Did he really leave Wave to perish? Why is Rodrigo making more Arks of the Cosmos through Cesare? And what happened to Espio during his fight with Sirin? Why is Marine saying Rodrigo is her dad in the OC HOUR? Stay tuned for the next Rogue's Bee!**


	8. Babylon Breakdown

Characters (C) Respective Owners

---

Ch. 7: Babylon Breakdown

This entire ordeal was a nightmare. It was worse than Cesare's aura and seeing the Chaotix die before me combined. However, if this were a nightmare I'd be waking up right now, and I'd just be in my bed in a cold sweat. Unfortunately, this was reality, and reality can be either angelic or demonic depending on the user.

"Jet...why?" I asked quietly, voice cracking unusually high on the brim of tears.

There was Jet holding Lucrezia in a deep, lustful kiss. His arms were around his waist, nearly gropping her bottom to place the scene on light terms. Lucrezia had one of her hands on Jet's chest feathers and the other locked around his head in a loving gesture. Jet quickly pulled away once he had heard my voice and stared at us in stunned silence. In a sudden motion, Lucrezia shoved him backwards in pure fear.

"You...you monster!" Lucrezia wailed, tears leaking from her eyes. "Look at what you've done! Kissing me, grabbing me, you freak!"

"Me?!" Jet cried. Just as he was ready to defend himself, he shook his head in disgust before turning to us. "Guys, listen to me, she-"

"You were kissing her!" Wave roared.

"You don't know the entire story!" he defended, crossing his arms in rage. "You always do this! You barge in and accuse without getting all the facts!"

She had enough, and I knew that permanant damage was done to their sacred relationship. Wave reeled back her hand and slapped Jet straight across the face. The responding _crack!_ echoed through the room. I covered my mouth, tempted to spout a crude remark, but even I knew that the situation was dire. Jet's hand slowly responded up to the forming red mark on his face, and his breathing became audible. He horrically stared wide-eyed at his former fiance`.

"What...was that for?" Jet asked bewilderedly.

"Go to hell, Jet," Wave whispered harshly. "Just go to hell, and leave me alone. Forever!"

"You have to understand!" He grabbed her arm, but she wriggled away. "Why do you gotta be so stubborn?!"

"You're crossing the line, Jet!" Vector shouted, shoving the hawk backwards.

"This doesn't concern you, Vector!"

Wave held her head down as Jet and Vector began to argue. Storm placed a hand on her shoulder in a feeble source of comfort, but she slapped it away. He flinched, unsure of what to do. I tried to say something, anything to make light of the tradgedy, but all of my jokes seemed out of place. Instead, I just remained silent and stared on sullenly at Vector and Jet's enough.

Suddenly, Wave bolted away with her dress trailing clumsily behind her. I felt something warm drizzle onto my cheek, and I realized that from the sudden burst of speed, her tears fell sideways on me and Storm. Jet stared after her, calling out her name. Lucrezia ran off in the opposite direction as her with a terrified expression. That left me with Storm and Jet. Storm's eyes were closed, and his body turned tense.

"Storm...you believe me, don't you?" Jet pitifully pleaded. "I didn't want this. Lucrezia came onto me, and I couldn't stop her."

Storm slowly raised his head towards him, and a flow of hatred trembled in his cobalt eyes. "I thought you loved her," he muttered solemnly. "I thought you treasured her more than anything in the world."

"I-I do, but-!"

"But nothing! If you cared about anyone besides yourself, you wouldn't have been tempted by Lucrezia in the first place! You could have just walked away!" Storm screamed, grasping Jet by his chest feathers and lifting him into the air.

"Storm, stop!" I shrieked, coming between the two as Storm dropped Jet to the floor. "I'm sure if we just listen to Jet instead of argue we can get the entire story down!"

"Charmy, you listen to this traitor if you want, but leave me out of this," he hissed lowly.

"Storm? What do you mean?" Jet asked frightfully.

Storm placed a hand on Jet's shoulder and heaved a sigh. Closing his eyes, he shook his head and tossed his Extreme Gear lazily onto the ground. "See you around, Jet, but don't expect Wave and I or anyone for the matter to accept you as who you used to be any time soon."

His words struck Jet tightly, making him gasp in shock. Storm morbidly glanced back at him before quickly speeding off in Wave's direction. The Storm I knew would believe Jet, but he just dashed away. I wanted to yell at him for his harshness, but I thought for the moment that Jet deserved his punishment. Jet dropped to his knees, pounding his fists against the unforgiving stone floor. The hawk cursed while I just hovered there in complete confusion. Storm just left him there with me in distraught, confusion and overall desperation for consolation. Awkwardly, I patted his head which stopped Jet for a few moments. He stared up at me for a few seconds with wide teal eyes that wracked of misery.

"You stayed," he stated slowly.

"Tell me your side of the story, Jet," I requested earnestly. "To be a good detective, one has to get all the facts and figure out which is true or false. Espio told me that when I was younger."

Jet stood back up, a tiny grin on his face. "You see, I was looking for Wave when the alarms went of. I panicked and thought she tried to escape on her own. So I left Storm and Vector, not knowing you were gone. I found her in the same cell as you guys most likely, but I ran instead of used my Gear. I was so winded that I wasn't sure how to get her out. Without any breathe, I raised my finger as a motion that I'd be back."

"Wave said you sneered and ran off," I commented.

"She must've interpreted my gesture wrong. Anyway, I ran back down here where I found Lucrezia. She wisked me in her, saying that she had a key. I was gullible enough to fall for it, and one thing led to another, and we just started...making out." Jet rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with a blush caressing the sides of his beak.

I whistled uneasily, glancing away. "Wow, Jet, you really...you really got some issues. You need to be more careful of the wiliness of women, and I totally sound like Wave, but I don't care."

Slowly, Jet's frown turned into a sneer. Checking his expression, I cringed when his eyes glew violet. He snatched my throat, choking the breathe out of my lungs in one fell swoop. Hacking, I tried to suck in any air while Jet just started to laugh.

"Heh heh, what a complete fool!" Jet howled, laughing reverbrating from his throat in a raunchy manner. "You believed Jet's truth while everybody else believe that he's a cheating piece of scum!"

"R-Rodrigo..." I panted as Jet smashed me into a wall.

Rodrigo suddenly appeared at the front of the cell. In his hand was the Ark of the Cosmos he created through Cesare's aura. "Do you like my latest pawn? I learned it through an ancient remedy in a dark arts magic book from the Babylonians of old. You see, Lucrezia is far different from the rest of our family. She contains a different type of poison that I created myself: Succubus. It's in her saliva, and she willingly became part of my plan once she drank it Succubus allows the user to use mind control once saliva is swapped through kissing." Rodrigo snatched me away from Jet, sneering with a sleight, knowing he had the upperhand. "My daughter is the perfect actress."

I groaned, feeling my life start to slip away from his powerful grasp. Jet just stood there with is arms at his side and clenched fists; his eyes were a lifeless, unnatural dark purple with slits going in an X formation in both eyes. I whimpered his name uneasily as my lungs caved in. Struggling to stay consious, I grabbed out for Jet, but he just stared at my hand like it was vomit.

Suddenly, a surge of shruiken pelted down on us until Jet blocked each one with his bashyo fans. However, some were deflected by a barrage of senbon with blood stains. Droplets of the vermillion liquid drizzled onto my face like rain, making me freeze. Perhaps I was growing to be afraid of blood like that big-boobed Hokage from Naruto named Tsunade before kicking Orochimaru's butt.

Espio lashed out at Rodrigo, but Sirin suddenly kicked him square in the jaw. Coughing, my chameleon comrade spat out a tiny wad of blood before facing the scarred descendant of a demon. Sirin has a kunai stabbed in his shoulder, but seemed completely placid about it, along with the burn marks on his body.

"Jet, what are you doing?" Espio demanded coldly. "Have you defected to Rodrigo, traitor?"

Rodrigo suddenly chucked me at Espio, but he thankfully caught me. I wheezed, holding my throat since I thought I would die of strangulation. Standing in front of me, Espio performed a series of handsigns that I instantly recognized.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Espio exclaimed. Heaving backwards, I noticed that his cheeks slowly puffed outwards before he ejected a stream of flames in the form of a large bird-not Storm; he got thinner, somehow.-spewed out.

"Forget this," Rodrigo snorted. Holding up his newest Ark right before the fire engulfed them, a black hole opened underneath him, Jet and Sirin. and they escaped.

Cursing underneath his breathe, Espio suddenly fell to his knees and began to pant. I noticed his sudden appearance: he was bleeding from his jaw and cuts were displayed all over his body, some in triangular patterns. Espio winced when he tried to stand, and I took notice that the backs of his knees were cut open. Carefully picking him up by his shoulders, I fluttered into the air. Kicking my Extreme Gear on, I swapped it to Flight Gear. Espio slung himself over my shoulder as I dashed in the direction where Storm and Vector chashed Wave.

"Mind filling me in?" Espio requested weakly.

Doing as he asked, I told Espio everything of what happened right after he left to fend off Sirin. Espio growled, muttering that he knew Jet was the coming of Rodrigo. I paused, questioning whether to ask him on how he proposed that plausibly correct idea. Keeping my tongue shut, I glanced over to a small camera that was held onto the corner of the wall.

"Hey, Espio, there's a camera," I stated. "He's probably watching us."

"Or one of his newest accomplices," Espio deducted. "So, Jet is only under his control. Hm, this is rather similar to my story except I gave myself up to his darkness for another chance to live."

I sighed as I shifted away from the camera. Espio glanced backwards, glaring daggers at the camera. In an odd move that I've never seen Espio actually perform, he stuck his long tongue out. I paused to stare at him before immitating him at the camera. Espio smirked, a faint blush creeping on his face. Smirking at him, I informed him that it was okay to be silly sometimes to which Espio duly agreed.

"The only option we have now, Charmy, is to retreat," Espio stated, a hint of anger in his voice. "I'd like to stay around to punch everyone's lights out, but I'm afraid with Jet as their hostage, we have to no choice. We'll find Storm, Vector and Wave and head back to the Babylon Rogue's airship."

"Roger that, but we're just leaving Jet behind?"

"For now, but we'll explain the scenario to Wave and Storm. I'm sure they'll accept Jet back as their leader."

"...Maybe..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Espio's narrowed onto me as I took at sharp corner. He coughed into his hand, and raindrops of blood spattered onto my Gear. I cringed, shaking my head.

"Well, right before Jet attacked me, he did state his case being that Lucrezia pretty much decieved him with the old 'I have a key to retrieve your love' jive." I shrugged, not sure what to add.

"I'm not exactly sure how to respond to that attrocity, but rest assured, Charmy, he'll come to his senses soon." Espio cracked one of his knuckles against my Gear. "However, we do have the pleasure of knocking the sense into him for a "just in case" scenario."

I laughed, liking the idea of pulverizing Jet to get him back to normal. I'm pretty sure Wave and Storm would've started knocking some sense into Jet immediately there after if they heard Espio's proposition.

"You know what? I like that idea! Let's do it now!" I jeered, ready to turn around and find Jet.

"Um, no stupid," Espio snapped. "In case you have short-term memory loss, which you probably do, I'm injured, Storm and Vector are chasing Wave throughout the castle, and we could get jumped at any moment."

"You mean like right now?"

"What does that mean?"

At that precise moment, a sword slashed the underside my Gear in half. Before Espio fell, I managed to snatch him. Waving goodbye to my forsaken Extreme Gear, I glanced over my shoulder to find Tagio standing there with an army of Slifers behind him. Espio cringed as Tagio charged for us, and he performed another series of handsigns as I held him airbourne.

"Ninja Art: Instantaneous Teleportation Jutsu!"

In a second, we were engulfed in a rapidly bright light, and I clenched my eyes to avoid it. When I re-opened my eyes, I found myself in Jet's office in the Babylon Rogues' airship. Placing Espio down, I faced the window to see Babylon Garden. I gasped at the dreadful sight: A hellish blackness surronded it, much like the black hole the Arks of the Cosmos created when they resonated together for the first time.

Espio held onto his chest before falling over, and I noticed a gauze of red liquid streaming from it. He was bleeding heavily, and I froze for a few seconds. Spatting blood from his mouth, I trembled before turning him over. The cuts had gotten worse, and the jutsu put too much strain on his weakening body.

"Raine can fix you, Espio! Don't die!" I cried, fluttering towards the door.

"W-who says...I'll d-die?" he gasped, smirking weakly. "I...c-cannot die...not yet, a-anyway."

Dashing towards Wave's room, I realized that it was locked and only a complicated series of numbers could unlock her door. Growling, I slapped my hand against the keypad with my eyes shut. Expecting the worse, I shielded my head and fell to the floor in a fetal position. A whirring noise brought me out of my disturbing position. The door had opened, and my mouth dropped literally to the floor. Flying inside, I flickered with the light switch since the room was pitch black. Wave's room was slightly different with a new bed and a longer desk with more whatchamacallits-her complicated looking devices and tools that Storm and I codenamed-scattered around in a klutzy manner. It would take a genius such as herself to figure out her collateral mess.

Slapping around a few proto-type Gears, I managed to snag an old-school airboard to which I realized that was my very first one. Throwing on the ground, I creaked a few times before exploding right in my face randomly. Coughing, I slapped some of the smoke off my face and resumed toiling for a decent board. There I found Wave's which seemed to be in perfect condition, and it was exactly like my destroyed Type-C2...without the getting cut in half part.

Using her board, I darted back out to Espio who was panting heavily. He leaned back onto me as I hovered on Wave's board, and I noticed that Espio had left a rather...strange way of letting the Storm and the others know we were leaving. He drawn a message in blood that stated that we were going to Team Virtex' home to heal Espio up.

"...Espio, not to sound rude, but the way you decided to write your message in blood not only scares me, but is pretty...emo," I commented.

"J-just shut up, and g-get me to Raine," he snarled as I stated my Gear back up.

Crashing through the window, I burst past Babylon Garden and headed for the Virtex HQ as fast as Wave's board could take me...

---

Location: Babylon Garden's Cell Ward

Storm lost sight of her. Cursing to himself, he knew that Vector was probably incompetant enough to get lost. He felt something suddenly nick his shoulder before stabbing into the wall. Slowing down on his Extreme Gear, he flew towards the wall and yanked out a small senbon. He wondered where exactly he'd seen that senbon before, stopping fully on h is Gear to actually ponder it.

"Saiyan? Shahra? Sharpay? Sora?" Storm muttered names to himself for about twenty minutes until the name finally came to him. "Squash? Sirin? Wait, Sirin! That's it! Oh, yeah, go me! Go Storm! Go Stor-!"

Suddenly, his moment of self-accomplishment came crashing down with a wrench came flying out in front of his foot and a holler of pain rushed throughout the alleyway. Storm stared down at the bleakened dark hall with hardly any light to illuminate and guide him. Gulping idly, he dashed off on his Gear towards the cry of utter pain. A dewdrop of sweat dribbled down his face at the sight that befell him.

Jet was holding Wave by her throat while she struggled to breathe, and Sirin held a senbon by her throat. Sirin paused, catching sight of the grey sea bird, but instead threw a dozen of senbon at Storm. Thinking quickly, he swerved around the senbon, but was quickly met with a roundhouse kick across his head, courtesy of Aliza. Clattering to the floor, he rubbed his head and groaned. Glancing up, he found Jet hover over him with his fans drawn and snorted like a bull in the heat of battle.

Going against everything his father, Thunder, taught him, Storm snatched Jet's arm and swung him into the wall. Being smarter than Storm, the emerald hawk used his fans to create a gust of wind to soften to blow. Storm winced, muttering his apology. Jet came at him once more, but Storm noticed that his move were rather erratic instead of controlled like his normal attacks patterns. The hawk swung at him wickedly with the moves of an insane man, but Storm was much quicker than he anticipated and caught the fans before they struck.

"Jet, why are you doing this?" Storm pleaded, his voice on the edge of despair.

"Because you're a freaking idiot!" Jet shouted back. "You were always screwing up missions and brought my name through mud so many times, it's incalculable! I hope you die, you worthless, good-for-nothing loser!"

The words struck Storm's spine, making him waver in strength. Storm clutched onto fans and heaved Jet into the air far away from his body to prevent him from kicking. A devious gleam tormented his once loyal eyes. He slammed Jet's body into the ground, but the yelp of pain made Storm pause. Leaving an unconsious Jet on the ground, he found Aliza behind Wave, grappling with her arms and prevented her from moving. Wave appeared half-dead like a lost soul that disregarded all signs of comatose feelings, but her panting signified that she was alive for the moment. Sirin gripped her throat with an emotionless sneer.

"This is for betraying your destiny as a member of our clan, half-sister!" Sirin shouted, stabbing his senbon down.

"No! Wave!" Storm shrieked, but he was too far away to even try and assist.

"A detective's work is never done, I suppose!"

A sudden stream of fire sailed through the hall, forcing Sirin and Aliza to jump away at the last moment. Storm ducked to the ground as the flames barely scorched his three dredlocked ponytail. Vector made his grand entrance with a small, circular object latched onto his wrist.

"Vector!" Storm cried happily. "You finally made it to the party!"

"Got that right, Storm, my man. Looky what I stole from Rodrigo while he was literally punching the lights out of Cesare." Vector raised his wrist, exposing a white crystaled Ark of the Cosmos. "This time, Rodrigo only made two from light gravity and dark gravity."

"Light and dark gravity?" Aliza repeated. "What on Babylon does that mean?"

"Be quiet, Aliza, or Lord Rodrigo will send you straight to the underworld where an undead being like you belongs," Sirin chided morbidly.

Aliza glared over to him, her grey eyes aflame with rage. "Don't try me, Sirin. I can do things to harm even you, sparrow."

Instead of replying, Sirin suddenly lashed out towards Wave, but found out that she was gone. The sparrow gasped with surprise until a wrench plowed over his head. Wave had rage fuming out of her pores like steam, but Sirin just stared up at her with a palcid expression.

"Destiny had brought you a long way, _dear_ sister, but I really think that you should just give up and let me kill you," Sirin demanded, pulling out a trifle of senbon.

"You listen up good, jerk! I was just dumped in the worse way by my boyfriend that I loved with all of my heart, got my butt handed to me several times, and worst of all, my wedding day was ruined!" Wave exclaimed, fury lurking in the deepest crevices of her voice; Storm and Vector both flinched. "Don't even try to bust me anymore than what I've been through!"

With anger to back her up, Wave somehow acquired the strength to swung her massive wrench down on Sirin, but he simply caught it with one hand. Lurching backwards, he kicked her straight across the face. Wave cried out, plummetting against the floor. Sirin dashed over to her, throwing several senbons into her, but he didn't anticipate what happened next.

Storm, suddenly having a great speed rate, charged out and snatched Wave. However, that didn't stop the senbon from slashing into his body. Crying out, Storm fell to his knees before falling over. Wave toppeled out of his arms, staring horrifically at her friend.

"Storm..." she whispered in fear as he struggled to get up.

A groan emitted from Jet as he started to get to his feet. Seeing Storm down, he raced over and slammed his foot onto his back, amplifying his pain. Screaming with pain as the senbon were shoved deeper into his back, Storm weakly craned his neck towards Jet, but the hawk refused to stare back. Closing his eyes, Jet moved away and allowed Sirin the stoplight.

"That's enough! I can't take anymore of this!" Vector roared. He raised his hand high into the air, and the Ark of the Cosmos on his wrist glew extravagantly. Wave instantly recognized that glow. "Gravity Control!"

In that moment, a bright light consumed himself, Wave and the fallen Storm in a vacuum of pulsing gravity with small bolts of icy blue lightning surronding them. Vector covered his eyes, wondering just what exactly forced him to unleash an attack he knew nothing about. In a flash, they were gone.

---

OC HOUR

STARRING: GEMINI, DAMIEN, RODRIGO, MARINE, ME, AND RECTOR.

Gemini was waking up in a dark room. He tried to make out some objects, but it was too dark to see. Trying to sit up, the hedgehog realized that there was rope stuck to his hands and feet. Gulping, he suddenly recalled losing a trial in which he would have to suffer the exact same fate as Storm did in Babylon Bee. Gemini cursed Babylon Sky Hawk for such a fate before a television popped out in front of him. It turned to static, and Gemini suddenly remembered Storm's aftermath of crying for several times and going to therapy with Tomo.

I hopped out of the television, thanking Sadako for the ride. Staring at Gemini, I blinked confusedly. "...Why are you here?" I asked. "You're not Damien."

"I'm right here," Damien mumbled as Rodrigo held his throat. "Help me..."

"I'll to your suffering next chapter," I muttered. "Take him away Roddy!"

Rodrigo grinned with Marine, whom was clutching his cape. Dragging Damien away, the dog's screams could be heard for miles while Rodrigo's laughter echoed. Marine just kept shouting random stuff like how much she loved her "daddy Rodrigo".

At that moment, Rector walked in with a pair of headphones over his head with a video camera. "You got the stories?" he questioned.

I brought out several stacks of papers and nodded. Rector smired, pressing the play button on the video camera. Gemini stared at Rector and tilted his head. Catching sight of the title, he gasped.

"Tagio with some wolf named Mendigo," he read and scoffed. "That's nothing. At least I'm not in it."

"Who says you aren't?" I sneered earning a horrified stare from the...very rich hedgehog. "Heh, roflcopter time. You're headphones on tight, Rector? We don't want you to get traumatized since you're actually in the next chapter."

Rector nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I'm all set. Gemini, you're screwed."

...Let's just say that Gemini was literally screaming his head off, Rector's face throughout the entire "romance story concerning Gemini" was XD, and I was lulzing at their dismay. Hey, it was pretty fun...Rector rhymes with Vector...JA MON.

---

**A new enemy appears in the form of a friend. Was Jet posessed by Rodrigo when he brutally attacked Storm and Wave? Will Charmy get Espio to Team Virtex before anything else goes wrong? What's the "light" and "dark" gravity Rodrigo is creating? Will Gemini go to rehab? Stay tuned because for the next Rogue's Bee!**


	9. Insect Love

Characters (C) Respective Owners

---

Ch. 8: Insect Love

Team Virtex lived in downtown Station Square, and it was in the most remote part of the city with common hudlums and thugs hanging around. I nearly got jumped by them, but thankfully, Wave's board lasted out until I reached the Virtex home. The sun was just rising over their home, and I was ready to pass out from having only about three hours of sleep. Hunkering with Espio was just as bad since he was out cold, sleeping. Clattering against the ground, I wheezed as I crawled to the door in a pant.

Somebody had heard the remorseful crash and dashed out. Armand Novak the Tiger blinked at us in wonderment before he gasped at Espio's deep gashes that sprayed across the front steps.

"Just what is going on here?" the amethyst tiger quickly asked as he helped Espio and I inside.

I slumped myself onto their couch. Just as I was about to answer, I felt myself nodding off. Armand laid Espio on an ebony, large, leather chair. In a swift movement, I fell off the couch, slammed my head onto their coffee table, broke it, and fell asleep on the glass. That last thing I heard was someone screaming about the coffee table breaking, presumably Rector.

I'm so smart, aren't I? Don't answer that if you're named Rector, Howl or Armand.

...Beep...beep...beep...

I was definately in a dream with a beeping sound similar to my buzzing noise that echoed whenever I flew. The entire area was drowned with darkness, and booming screams hollered around me. I winced, wondering if I were back in Cesare's aura of nightmares. A finger suddenly jabbed me on the forehead, and Psyko the "Dream Killer" Wolf stood in front of me with an arrogant grin.

"Where am I?" I asked. "Back in your place?"

"Yeah, what happened?" he asked sincerly. "Well, I felt Jet's mind go blank, and that's it."

So, I explained the entire ordeal to Psyko while he just nodded. Once I finished, he rolled his eyes and sighed. Rubbing his temple, he threatened to kill that hawk while I nervously chuckled. Psyko tapped his chin thoughtfully before an air of realization waved over him.

"Alright, I'll deal with Sirin," he proclaimed. "He did some damage to my lair last time you were here, and I want some healthy revenge for messing up my pad."

"Okay, good luck! By the way, why all the creepy darkness instead of that boiler room?" I questioned, shuddering at the immense darkness.

"This? Oh, I'm just saving some of my mind power. I'm trying to get used to new surrondings so anyone of my "guests" can have an unfair chance against me," Psyko sneered.

"Um, weird, but thanks for all your help. You really didn't have to do this."

Psyko shrugged, an irrevocable prideful grin plastered on his grey muzzle. "Heh, no worries. If Rodrigo takes over, my dreamworld is pretty much screwed," he explained. Snapping his fingers was the last sound I heard before my eyes slammed shut, and I felt my body falling over into Psyko's clawed hand.

...Beep...beep...beep...

My amber eyes weakly opened. The sudden light from a formal doctor's chair blinded me into groaning. When the insufferable light was removed, I slowly reopened my eyes to find Raine and the rest of Team Virtex hovering over me with Rector's girlfriend Shade. An annoying poking stabbed at my cheek until I slapped Rector's offending hand away.

"Hey, he's coming to," Rector stated, leaning in towards me. "You alright, brat?"

Brat had became my new nickname for Rector. By his standards, I had been hitting on Raine though she was rather oblivious to my feeble attempts at impressing her. Also another reason why I never listen to Vector anymore. I tried everything from roses to making Espio write a poem for me so I could say it to her. Needless to say, I was flying away from Rector on my Extreme Gear as fast as I could while Rector chased me nearly each time.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I growled, glaring at him. "Will you stop calling me that?"

"Brat? Nah, not until you stop hitting on Raine," Rector sniggered.

"No way!"

Howl held the dark rose hedgehog back as he angrily fumed. Smirking to myself, I noticed Espio was drapped in blankets and tubes were attatched to his body. A few beakers were lying next to his body which were almost gone. I realized that those were either healing potions or medications to slowly fix his mind numbing. Struggling to sit up, I sighed when I caught eyes with Raine. She smiled over at me, and I grinned toothily back. Of course, I flinched when Rector's glower narrowed down on me.

"So, mind explaining what happened?" Howl asked.

Rolling my eyes, I gave them all an exasperated look. Sighing heftily, I explained what happened _again _to Team Virtex while they simply "ohed" and "ahed" in awe, and once I mentioned Jet's mind control/betrayal, Rector...well...uh...

"Oh, that backstabbing little son of a-!"

The words Rector has spoken are not allowed for children under the age of eighteen. Somehow, Armand's watch formed a pair of electronic headphones from the stuff his makes his sword with and placed two pair on Raine's and my head. Shade pinched the bridge of her nose before slapping him over the head. Rector yelped, making me chuckle, but I instantly stopped when his orbs latched onto mine.

"Rector, stop talking," the Nocturnus echidna snapped. "So, allow me to summarize: After Rodrigo kidnapped Wave, he made Cesare go to town on your mind with bluntly disturbing images of Raine, your respectful mother and Storm. Then, when you, the Chaotix, Jet, and Storm decide to save Wave under Psyko's advice, you find out that Jet's under Rodrigo's...influence to put it lightly, and Espio was severely injured by Sirin."

"Yeah, that sums everything up," Rector huffed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why don't we just bust over there and beat Rodrigo up right now?" Armand urged. "We can kick him while his guard is dropped."

"No, we shouldn't." Our attention was drawn over to Espio. One his his sun-colored eyes were opened, and a feeble frown forged on his tan muzzle. "They have superiority in numbers and hostages including Jet. I think Jet's just posessed like how I gave myself up to Rodrigo to come back to life."

"But Jet lapped a poison from Lucrezia's kiss," Howl argued. "He went after her for lust alone."

"That's not true! Jet wanted to rescue Wave at any means!" I bickered back.

"Than why he was lured by her seduction?" the wolf growled, narrowing his eyes onto me.

I didn't reply since it was too troublesome to argue with the wolf. Lying back in my bed, I sighed heavily as the Virtex members began to investigate Espio to learn more about Sirin. Raine rummaged around with a large drapping of bandages that resided on my forehead from me passing out on glass. The white butterfly chuckled at me, patting my head and twirling a finger through my ponytail. Smiling bashfully, I chuckled nervously.

Of course, guess who saw that!

"I don't approve of that!" Rector barked, jabbing a finger at me. "You're too young to date!"

"Well, what about Sonic and Amy? You let them date!" Raine spat, glaring at him.

"Because Sonic's more responsible than that brat."

"Hey! I saved the world a few times!" I whined, folding my arms across my chest.

"Point taken, but...I just don't really like you."

"Feeling's mutual."

Ever since Raine and I had gotten close, Rector seemed to want to intervene each time to protect his "little sister". Howl thought of him as an idiot when he actually knocked a bucket of pain over my eyes, nearly blinding me. Armand filled the entire thing and posted it on the internet. It got over nine thousand hits, by the way, and somehow turned me into a minor internet celebrity. Love certainly has it's quirks, I guess.

Wait, love? Biting my lip at the thought, I noticed Shade was eyeing Raine with one of those almighty know-it-all woman looks. With an irrevocably keen smirk, she bent down and whispered something to Raine. She blushed, illuminating her face with a thousand rose bushes and eagerly nodded at the echidna. Shade leaned towards Howl and Armand, probably murmuring the exact same idea to them. Both nodded and grasped Rector's arms, heaving him into the air. Yelping, Rector protested before Howl threatened to show Shade an assortment of his "collections". Rector was instantly silenced and dragged out of the room with Shade pushing Espio's medical table out.

"Why'd they leave?" I asked, catching Raine's quirky eyes gestures. "...Stop playing with my ponytail already, Raine!"

"It's cute! It's so girly!" Raine jeered, tugging at it.

"I'm not a girl," I sneered. "You're just jealous because of my-"

"Your ponytail is girly, Charmy."

Glaring daggers at the smirking butterfly, I fluttered off the table until she snatched my arm. Wincing at the touch, I snagged my arm away as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"What now? Sorry, but I have to go," I quipped, staring to fly away.

"Your wounds are too deep!" Raine retorted. "You think you can go out in public like that with a large gauge on your forehead? People will call the police and take you in."

"Thanks, your concern is touching, but I gotta go and save Jet!" Hopping off the table, I zoomed past her and burst past the other Virtex members with Espio still bedridden. "Espio, you stay there, and I'll pick you up later!

"Affirmative," Espio called as I was half-way out the door in a meek, tone-deaf voice.

"Get back here!" Raine shrieked, bolting after me with her ocean-colored wings. "You aren't done healing!"

"Sorry, but get forget it! I got a mission to accomplish and buddies to save so I can't fool around!" I cried back, dashing even faster. Suddenly, my head began to throb, and I wondered if my brain was pulsing in my skull vampantly like when Rodrigo was quickly dying in his Shadow form.

My attenaes twitched when I heard the fluent pulse of wind vibrating on my back. I felt rather good to be in a chase again without my Extreme Gear. Sure, Raine could've probably kicked my butt all the way to Cancun if she caught up, but still it was rather amusing. I mean, what's better than having a girl chase you? A girl that likes you and wants to mutilate you, that's what!

"Come back here! Nobody insults me and gets away with it!" Raine shrieked, plowing through the people of Station Square.

I winced, wobbling in my flight. Rubbing my head in pain, I winced when I glanced back. My head was still throbbing, and I clashed into a tale, human male in a business suit. Suddenly, the man jabbed a finger at me with his polished nail sticking out. Raine skidded to a stop, staring at the man strangely.

"Uh oh..." I whimpered, giving an awkward smile. "Hi Mister Former Boss of Twinkle Park that me, Storm and Kiba beat up."

The former pimple-faced manager of Twinkle Park glared down at me with such hatred that even Shadow would cry in terror. Slapping his hands across his grey business suit, the red-head previous nerd was ready to snap as streaks of red embraced his face. Snatching Raine's hand, I dashed away as the man screamed horrendously at my backside while Raine just blinked in absolute confusion while getting dragged along.

"And just who was that?" Raine asked as I fled into a train with her.

"Some...guy...I beat...up with...Storm and...Kiba," I said between breathes. Sighing, I slumped onto the red leathery train seat as Raine stared at me with wonder in her eyes. "What is it?"

In a swift movement, the cunning butterfly slapped me straight across the backside of my head. Falling out of my seat, I yelped with pain and held my head. A few of the traingoers turned to stare until they noticed an inch beaker of magenta liquid in Raine's grasp. Clutching my wings, I winced at her unwavering glare. With malice, she slammed that beaker into my mouth and forced me to drink. Gulping, I felt my body suddenly immobolize like I was being transformed into stone. Lifting me up, Raine grinned down at me and rested my head upon her lap.

"That was for insulting me," Raine stated, patting my forehead. She stared over at the crowd that began to stare until she hissed at them. Flinching, the crowed faced away and minded their own business.

"Did you really have to turn me into a Tin Man who needs his oil?" I scoffed, trying to cross my arms, but they were frozen from the vial.

She chuckled at the light-weight humor that made me smile. "The answer is of course. Teasing you makes you rather cute, Charmy."

"Me? Cute? You're only saying that," I mumbled solemnly. "I've seen really weird things happen, Raine."

"Like what?"

"Remember when I told you about Cesare's aura?"

She nodded, a confused expression dancing on her face. "Yeah, so?"

"Rodrigo stabbed you from behind, and all the blood got on my face." I tried to cringe, but the vial was slowly wearing off yet it was still so potent that I could only twitch my head. "Your heart landed in my hands, and it was still beating. I think...I think I've acquired a phobia to blood."

"A phobia to blood?" she repeated in mild awe. "I'd probably get that too if I were you."

"Raine?"

"Yes?"

The potion slowly wore up, and I sat up in my seat. Sighing, I quietly laid my head onto her shoulder with a defeatist attitude to boot. A faint blush came to her face, completely astonished at the gesture. Cracking my knuckles became a habit of mine whenever I was frustrated, and I ignored the wrinkle of disgust that came onto her face at my grinding knuckles being crunched.

"I'm...scared," I admitted with my eyes shut. "Jet's gone, Wave's a wreck, and Espio nearly died. I don't know what to do anymore. I can't go against Jet since he's like my brother. Heck, I probably couldn't defeat Rodrigo on my own this time. I can't do this anymore, Raine."

Suddenly, Raine wrapped me in a hug filled with warmth. My head was pushed close to her blossoming chest (Please don't kill me, Rector, please!) making me blush. Her eyes were closed like she was deep in thought. Her heartbeat focused all of my thoughts to hear that easygoing ryhthm. It forced my brain to fight the memory of her dying and just relax in her sweet, comforting embrace. Sometimes I wish that life was just going to be easy, sweet and melodic like Raine's steady heartbeat. Wishes, more or less, don't often come true, but I've been proven wrong most of the time so what do I care? I just smiled as Raine sighed.

"Charmy, I think you've been burdened with this task of defeating Rodrigo," Raine softly murmured like a mother to her child. "I know what it's like to feel like the world is crashing around you, but have faith. Once life steers you in a direction, you can forge new paths on it. Each one leads to another, and the cycle never ends no matter what happens in life. You know you got me to help, Charmy."

My eyes dialated at her words. Nobody ever gave me such courage to continue, except Raine. Glancing away, I found a grew stretching across my muzzle, making the corners of my mouth wince at the length. A few people cooed around us until I brought out my kunai, and they fleed once more. Raine giggled lightly at my antics, snuggling me tighter.

"Uh, thanks for that Raine," I weakly, yet gleefully replied. "I sorta needed that pep talk."

"Aw, you're cute when you blush," Raine coyfully snickered, leaning closer to me.

---

Location: Team Virtex Home

"Raine's flirting with Charmy!" Rector screamed as Howl and Armand restrained him to a chair.

"I think he needs his medication again," Howl whispered to Armand as Shade brought out a syringe.

"I'm not crazy!" he insisted as Shade swabbed his arm. Shade stabbed him deep in the arm with the knock-out potion Raine invented. "Damn...you...brat..."

---

Location: Psyko's Nightmare World

"...Did you just feel that Rector did something really stupid right now?" Sarge asked, staring at Psyko.

"...Yep, I'll get him later," Psyko replied, sharpening his knives with another knife.

---

When my paralysis full wore off, I sat up. Raine and I chatted for a while on subjects that disregarded the Rodrigo situation. I wondered on ways to try to ask her on a date, but that's when I remembered Vector's advice on couples that he kept driving onto me, and that five couples out of six got divorced with his advice. The train suddenly came to a complete stop, announcing that we had arrived in the Mystic Ruins.

Raine leaped to her feet, dragging me along even though I didn't want to go. I wanted to go see if I could find Storm or Wave and try to get some reconcilation in them to try and save Jet from that madman Rodrigo. Encouraging me to have some fun, we flew off together and found Tails' workship right on nearby. Deciding to pay the twin-tailed fox a visit, we zoomed on right up towards his home.

The garage was left open, and his biplane, the Tornado, was missing. Materials were scattered all over the place, but I noticed a few strands of yellow-orange fur on the floor in the shadow of where his plane would be. His trademark screwdriver lay forsaken on his desk. A grey note was left underneath that Raine snatched. Gasping, Raine gave the note to me.

"...What?" I whispered. "Tails and Cream...got kidnapped by Jet?"

It was true. Tails must've scrawled this note right before his capture. It read: Sonic! Help me! Jet's attacking Cream and I with Rodrigo! I think something's wrong with him! I left the Tornado here with the ignition on!

"Do you think Sonic found this note yet?" I asked.

"The Tornado's gone, so that's a possibility," Raine noted. "I wonder who went though."

"...Sonic did punch Jet in the face...Wait, they don't know what happened!" I cried, realizing Jet was still in Rodrigo's control. "Raine, we gotta go save them!"

"But how? Rodrigo has the advantage. He knows that Sonic is going, and he probably predicted that he would bring reinforcements." She crossed her arms, crestfallen. "Let's see if Sonic can pull one over."

Frowning, I sighed and placed the note back on Tails' desk. I hated Tails for a while when I was younger because Cream really, really, _really_ liked him. It was like Tails was just another obstacle for me to plow through, but I never could. We were polar opposites, him being a living brain, and I being whimsical. In the past, I used to have a crush on the good-mannered rabbit, but I suppose your first crushes were meant to be discarded and broken. True love comes along slowly or quickly. It depends your karma from what Espio says. Vector says just get whatever girls comes your way. I think I held true with Espio's advice.

"Don't feel so down, Charmy," Raine murmured, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Sonic can save them, and than we'll get Jet back to normal."

"You don't understand. Jet's being brain-washed! I got to save him!" I shouted. "Ugh, where's my Extreme Gear when I need it?"

"I do understand! It's just that we shouldn't just barge in!" she insisted.

"Jet's like a brother to me! You're like brothers with Team Virtex, right?" She simply nodded with intrigue in her eyes. "Then you must probably know where I'm getting at. What would you do if the one being hypnotized was Rector?"

"I would attack whoever harmed him," Raine muttered, eyes widening in fright. "Wait, is something wrong with Rector? Um, besides the fact that he gets drunk every weekend with Shade."

"No, and...he gets drunk with Shade? Wow, he must have fun."

---

Location: Team Virtex Home

"Aw, damnit! He's stirring again!" Armand shrieked as Rector was crawling on the floor, still dizzy from the potion.

"The brat is talking whack about me!" Rector screamed before bolting out the door. "I keel him!"

"...I keel him?" Shade repeated as she, Howl and Armand watched dart away. "Why do I work here?"

"Because you get drunk with him every weekend," Howl morbidly stated as Armand snickered.

---

Frowning at me, Raine narrowed her eyes. "You know what I mean!" she snapped irritably.

Covering my attenae, I winced. "He is fine! Maybe a little overprotective, but still fine!"

"Aw, thank goodness. I really thought he was like Jet, under Rodrigo's control," Raine sighed lowly. "I really thought that he was under his control for a few moments."

"Sorry, but I had to make the connection somehow." I shrugged uneasily, biting my lip. "Okay, I'll abide by your words and trust Sonic and whoever is with him to save Tails and Cream. Hopefully, Jet too."

"Believe in Sonic, Charmy. He can win."

---

Location: Babylon Garden

Sonic the Hedgehog bravely stood in front of Babylon Garden. His hands were tightly clenched in raw, obvious anger. Knuckles, Mighty and Shadow stood decked out in front of the island on the desert sands. The wind swept the golden sand around them in tiny tornados that challenged the never-ending sea colored sky.

"So, we just barge in their and attack, bring Tails and Cream back, and knock Jet around, right?" Knuckles asked; Sonic nodded. Smirking, Knuckles cracked his trademarks eagerly. "Alright! Let's get them!"

"Time for some good revenge on our green-feathered friend," Might snickered, flexing his fingers.

Shadow nodded. "Let's just get in there and destroy them."

"Alright, team, let's go!" Sonic shouted as he brough out the cyan Chaos Emerald. "Chaos Control!" In a brillant flash on light blue, the heroes were gone and on Babylon Garden.

In the castle, Cesare watched as the heroes appeared on the floating hellhole. He resided in the tallest part of the roguish castle all to himself. He glanced back at Rodrigo who entered the room, holding Jet by the scruff of his chest feathers.

"Did my guests arrive?" Rodrigo asked, eccentric on his latest plot.

"Sonic the Hedgehog is here, Father, with Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, and Mighty the Armadillow," Cesare reported, not facing him.

Forcing the mesmerized Jet to stand up straight, and the hawk's eyes sunk deep into his head placidly. There was no sign of life anymore, only blank teal drums with double black X marks in each eye. His coloring had darkened slightly, and the flames on his wrists turned ghostly white to match his the white gloves provided by Rodrigo. The demonic crow mastermind snickered, stating Jet's name. The hawk stiffened, and a frightful, morbid expression came to hs face.

"Jet, you're my pawn now," Rodrigo maliciously cooed, snatching Jet's headfeathers. "I am the master of this entire charade. Here's your mission: Kill Storm the Albatross and Wave the Swallow."

Cesare gasped collectively in his throat, tightening his grasp on the windowsill. Rodrigo turned to glance over to him, but decided that it was nothing. Cursing under his breathe, Cesare bit his lower beak.

"I'm going to have some fun with those intruders and invoke some uncannied fear into them," Rodrigo informed, moving towards the door. "Make sure Jet gets out and does his job, understand, Cesare?"

"Yes, Father," Cesare quietly responded in a desolate, outcasted voice. Once the footsteps of his father droned off, Cesare rounded over to Jet with panic in his eyes. "Things aren't working out to what I planned. Jet, get control of yourself because if you don't Storm and Wave will perish. Come on! Get it together and fight his control!"

Jet's eye twitched, and his beak lay agape in a small 'o'. Cesare backed up a few steps when Jet slowly raised his hand. Trying to speak, the hawk clutched his throat and cried out in misery and pain. The crow cringed as Jet made gasping noises, knowing he couldn't assist in any possibly way to help. Jet's panic-streaked orbs latched upon Cesare.

"H...he...help...help me," Jet coughed, trembling. "I...can't...fi...fight h-him..."

"You have some of your mind left, that's good," Cesare cheered, pleasure coursing through his anxiety. Raising his hand, a petite formation of his aura meshed into a ball. It droned over to Jet, embedding into his chest. "That should help give you some control over the spell inside of you. However, you should go and venture out to see Storm and Wave. It may help you win."

Jet's body became stiff once more, and Cesare sighed. His eyes widened when he noticed that a tiny smirk came onto Jet's face and called out the hawk's name when he darted off. He wasn't sure of Jet's intentions, but as long as Rodrigo didn't have that much control, he prayed that all the pieces would fall in his favor.

"Mother, you're greatest wish shall come true," Cesare vowed in a murmur. "I promised you that day on Father's deathbed. I will not let you down!"

---

OC HOUR

Starring: DAMIEN, RODRIGO and MARINE

Damien, wondering why he was surronding in by a large boom box, stared at the restraints around his waist, arms and legs. The dog glanced over to Rodrigo with utter astonishment vivid in his eyes. He wondered just what was going on before he recalled the predicament that befell on him in BSH's court.

Rodrigo stared at him, holding a small CD in his hand. "You get to be my plaything," Rodrigo sniggered, the largest smirk on his face.

"Oh, great, my life sucks," Damien muttered, rolling his eyes. "What are you gonna do?"

"You'll see," Rodrigo grinned, walking towards the boom box. Pressing the CD button, he inserted the disk and smirked wickedly. "Help you like horrendous boy bands."

_I'm burnin' up for you, baby!_

"Oh, oh! Oh, dear God, no! Not the _Jonas Brothers_!" Damien screamed at the top of his lungs, rocking around in his chair like a man in an insane asylum. "Please, I'll do anything! Just shut this off!"

"Anything?" Marine repeated.

"Yes, anything! Wait, no!" Damien cried, realizing his mixed words.

"Okay, I'll just keep playing this," Rodrigo lackadaisically jeered, pointing at the earbuds in his ears. "I can't hear this anyway, and Marine...likes them for some reasons. So, it's either you do whatever I want or listen to this for the rest of your life."

_Oooh! This is an SOS! Don't wanna second guess!_

"Okay! I give up! Just shut it off!" Damien moaned as his ears began to ache from the shrilly brotherly boy band.

"Anything we want?" Rodrigo questioned.

"YES! JUST SHUT IT OFF!"

Happily, Rodrigo shut the music off and grinned. "Now, what to do with you..."

---

**The hearts of two young lovers mingle while two more young lovers are kidnapped! Can Sonic, Knuckles, Mighty, and Shadow rescue Tails and Cream? Will Jet break free from Rodrigo's control? Why is Cesare helping Jet, his father's enemy, out? Will Damien get the Jonas Brothers' songs out of his head? Stay tuned for the next Rogue's Bee!**


	10. I'm Not In This Chapter pt 1

How many times did this get deleted? THREE TIMES. LOL FREAKING LOL.

Characters (C) Respective Owners

---

Ch. 9: I'm Not In This Chapter pt. 1

Rodrigo held a photograph in his hands, a morose expression on his face. There was a sun yellow swallow with a blue hawk next to a younger version of him. He sighed, placing the photo back on a desk that resided in his room. His room was similar to a scientists' office that featured test tubes, beakers and all sorts of machinary. With hardly any light it was a wonder how he could see. There were two metal cages with bars by his desk containing Miles Tails Prower and Cream the Rabbit.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Crow?" Cream meekly said, peering up at him with large chocolate eyes. A vivid excerpt of bemused fright was in her stare.

"Hm?" Rodrigo retorted, fumbling with the photo. Slamming it in the drawer, he added, "Yes, what is it?"

"I'm thirsty," she nervously stated with a small grin; Tails stared at his young lover in utter horror.

Rodrigo didn't respond with an eyebrow raised, but walked away into the darkness. Tails shot Cream a worried look, and she simply shrugged in a manner that made him question her sanity. In his younger years, Tails had been captured by Doctor Eggman a couple times, and he knew that Rodrigo was far different in torure methods. He trapped his precious rabbit girl and Raine in a cage two years back, and nearly stabbed the girls. Tails shuddered at the thought of Rodrigo doing the same to Cream now. Beads of damp sweat formed on his forehead when a blast of warm air came inside, gathering and suffocating him. A few moments later, Rodrigo came back from the darkness with a bottled water. Handing it to Cream, he sauntered right out the door. Popping his head back in when Cream called his name, he rolled his eyes when Cream thanked him and left.

"What was that for?" Tails murmured as Rodrigo slammed the door shut.

Rodrigo placed a hand to his forehead, coughing to himself. Just what had come over him? Generally, he was adequate with children, but much younger. Smartmouthed brats were what he called children of Tails and Cream's age. Rodrigo bit his lip, clutching his throat and felt that it was like on fire. A burning etched around his jugular vien, making him whimper. The crow noticed a twinge of a black aura cascading away, and he gasped: Cesare. Shaking his head, he noticed that Jet was streaking towards him on his Extreme Gear and avoided him by slamming his body onto the wall. Jet, eyes still blank and with an X in each, didn't even look at him. An ominously placid frown was on his face, and his eyes were locked dead straight ahead. Smirking, the feeling of dread that had consumed him vanished as abruptly as it came. The burning vanished, and the airwaves reopened. Rodrigo took a fresh breathe, smirking. At least Jet was doing his job correctly.

Remembering what he stated to Cesare about his whereabouts, Rodrigo slipped on his newest Ark of the Cosmos with a dark jewel centered in the middle where the other colors would've went. He cursed his son for destroying his life's ambition, but at least he had this one.

Wait, one? Rodrigo stared down at the Ark of the Cosmos on his left wrist before staring over at his right. His violet eyes widened in brusque horror while his beak hung gaping at the floor. Slapping his hands in a frenzy, he cursed with each empty pocket of his trenchcoat. His other Ark was gone, gone! Right out of his hands. Well, pockets to be exact. Pinching his brow, he took a few several dozen deep breathes before deciding to head out and meet Sonic's barriage one on one.

"Gravity Control!" Rodrigo shouted, raising his arm into the air. A black hole appeared behind him, and closing his eyes, Rodrigo fell backwards. The black hole sucked him up like a sponge to water.

The black hole rippled, dropping Rodrigo outside. He watched as his Slifers were slaughtered against the charge that contained Sonic, Mighty, Knuckles, and surprisingly, Shadow. The crimson and jet black hedgehog only wanted to come because he never formally met Rodrigo and wanted a challenge. Besides, Kumori was nagging him to go. **(A/N: Kumori was introduced in Charmy Rogues.) **

Sonic curled up into a ball, revving a few times before slashing through the Slifers with swiftness reknowned across history. Mighty and Knuckles bashed each Slifer that foolishly dared approach, while Shadow simple used his Chaos Spears to stab them all to the grave. Rodrigo's faint clapping filled the air as the Slifers were silenced and retreated.

"So, I'll presume you are Rodrigo the Crow?" Shadow questioned, crossing his arms.

"I am, Shadow the Hedgehog, the world's Ultimate Life Form," Rodrigo sneered. "I believe this is our first, formal meeting."

"It is, scumbag," he growled, narrowing his eyes.

"We aren't here to fool around!" Knuckles roared, raising his fist up into the air.

"Where are Tails and Cream?" Mighty asked.

Rodrigo stared over at him, tilting his head lightly. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mighty the Armadillo," he introduced with a gleeful smirk. "I'm travelling all around the world, and my dream is to go to each town in the entire world."

"How boring," Rodrigo yawned, making Mighty have a vien pop out on his forehead.

"Answer his question: Where's Tails and Cream?" Sonic demanded, eyes lowering onto Rodrigo's Ark.

Rodrigo pointed up at his castle, not saying a word. Snapping his fingers, four medievil wooden doors were unlatched and slowly pulled themselves forward. From each door came one of his accomplices: Tagio, Lucrezia, Aliza, and Cesare descended the wooden planks. Rodrigo stared at his daughter like he had seen a ghost before glaring over at Cesare.

"Where's Sirin?" Rodrigo snarled.

"He suddenly fell into a state of unconsiousness," Tagio reported. "My Lord, look out behind you!"

Quickly thinking, Rodrigo leaped over Knuckles who came charging at him with a flurry of punches. Catching eyes with the crow's annoyed son, the echidna smirked and smashed his fists into the ground. A small earthquake occured, forcing Lucrezia to fall to her knees with Tagio. Aliza snatched Cesare's hand and, using her powerful wings, dashed into the air. Taking the opportunity, Sonic launched himself into a ball and revved up before taking to the skies. He broke the bond between Cesare's support, making Aliza drop him. She winced when Cesare slammed into the ground, but his aura prevented him from getting severly hurt since it was like a barrier.

Tagio faced off with Knuckles, angeried at the treatment for his master. Launching himself at the guardian of the Master Emerald, the falcon slashed wildly with his sword. Being strangly swift, Knuckles managed to avoid each strike with ease. Waving at the normally collected retainer, Knuckles bashed his elbow on the blunt side of the broadsword, knocking it clean out of Tagio's hands. Using his flinching to his advantage, Knuckles punched Tagio straight on his beak. Flying backwards, he nearly left a trench on the ground due to the powerful impact. Cracking his beak, Tagio felt blood escape his nostril and scowled.

"That didn't go as I planned," Tagio muttered scornfully.

"What does?" Knuckles questioned, rushing towards him again. Gliding towards him, Knuckles snatched Tagio by his headfeathers, and he tossed him into the air.

Tagio cringed, feeling absolutely weightless in the enternal sky, but the sudden drop of gravity propelled him towards Knuckles at impeccable speeds. Flipping himself over, he found Knuckles aiming his arm right at him, and he was confused by the motion.

"Thunder Arrow!" Knuckles cried as a piercing lightning struck down from the heavens. The massive bolt slashed through Tagio, and the falcon screamed with pain as he hit the ground. He lay perfectly still, but his heavy breathing signified that he was alive. "Phew! I thought I killed him for a moment."

Tagio staggered to his feet, and Knuckle's violet eyes widened in shock: A large amount of his feathers had been skewered off, revealing a large burn back that drapped an eerie mud and muck color on his skin. Sneering, Tagio gripped his sword and repeatedly slashed at Knuckles, and his complete horror allowed the echidna to get cut across his chest. A faint blood trail lingered before dripping like drizzled rain, but his scarlet fur covered it well. Tagio continously slashed at the guardian, managing to cut straight through his side. Knuckles yelped with pain, closing one of his eyes in recoil and kept on dodging the blows.

"Hah! So, this is the Knuckles Tribe last and finest warrior, eh? How pathetic!" Tagio jeered. "I'm sure Tikal would've put up more of a challenge!"

"Tikal? As in, Tikal the Echidna? How do you know her, creep?" Knuckles demanded.

"When Babylon Garden landed, we landed directly next to Angel Island," Tagio informed with a smirk. "Our races immediately went to war, but the dreaded echidnas defeated us. However, that doesn't mean I can't kill that last guardian of the Master Emerald!"

Fed up, Knuckles caught Tagio's sword just as it nearly stabbed through his shoulder by a fur. Pulling his fist back, Tagio futily attempted to punch Knuckles on the jaw, but the echidna simply moved his head to the side and picked him up by his sword.

"Um, uncle?" Tagio weakly cried, fear broiling in his gut.

"Next time," Knuckles growled as Tagio began to slide down the sword. Reeling his fist back, he punched him right across the chops and into the castlle. "I think you should've tried an opponent you could've actually beat! Oh, and never talk down upon my race, scumbag."

Over with Mighty, he was having his own problems, but reluctantly faced her. Lucrezia tripped over her silk, white dress and fell flat on her face. Chuckling lightly as the blonde crow scowled at her dress and wiped some dirt off that was hardly visable, Mighty covered his mouth to seem polite. Suddenly, she tripped...again and fell to her side. Mighty shook his head with a disbelieving smile. This clumsy girl was supposed to be Rodrigo's daughter? Outstretching his hand to her, Lucrezia stared up at him before accepting it. Batting her eyes seductively at her, a tangible air of coyness surronded Mighty. With a flushed face, Mighty nervously giggled until she punched him straight across the chops.

"Well, that wasn't very nice," Mighty mumbled, rubbing his cheek as a red mark began to form.

"It wasn't supposed to be, stupid!" Lucrezia cried, swinging rapidly at the yellow armadillo. "Aaah! Stay still!"

Mighty dodged each one, ducking, moving to the sides, and somehow turned the dodging into a leapfrog game with him continously leaping over her back. Lucrezia gaped at the easy-going traveller as he just grinned at her. Exhausted from rapid punches she threw, Lucrezia panted and fell to her knees. She smirked, a gleam of extreme desire touching her orbs.

"Oooh, I can't do this," she sobbed, holding her face in her hands. "You're too quick and so, oh so strong, Mr. Armadillo."

Guilt panged at Mighty's heart, banging like an endless drum in mind and soul. Scratching his ogre-like ear in embarassment, Mighty sheepishly knelt down to the weeping avian. Apologizing lightly, he rubbed the back of his head, oblivious to the smirk on her beak.

Shooting her hand out, she clasped the back of Mighty's shell and brought his face close. Instictively, Mighty shoved her backwards, but kept his hands...placed right on her chest. A moment later, Cesare's foot came slamming into the backside of Mighty's head. Lucrezia's half-brother glowered down at her as she thanked him. His gold eyes pierced her as he glared back to her.

"Lucrezia, stop being such a Daddy's Girl and defend yourself," Cesare ordered, walking away. "Sorry for kicking you, brotherly instict."

"Um, no problem," Mighty responded unevenly as Cesare walked away. "Hey, whose side are you on?"

"...My own," he simply replied.

"Brother..." Lucrezia murmured. She and Mighty exchanged looks of worried contempt. She quivered underneath her dress, wondering exactly what her half-brother was plotting admist her father's own chaos.

Over to Shadow and Aliza's fight, Aliza continously dodged all of the Chaos Spears that swiftly danced in charades around her. Using her long, elegant wings, she played Cat and Mouse with the amusing game in her words, guiding the bolts of yellow Chaos energy into the castle. Explosions were brought as pieces of the metal exterior were slashed out and fell to the ground. Holes in the ground were formed upon impact. Aliza's broad smirk magnified her the confidence on her face.

"Is that all you can do, Shadow?" Aliza sneered at the hedgehog.

I can do so much more than you can ever imagine," Shadow snarled, his vermillion orbs a fiery rage.

"Prove it! After all, I'm getting bored flying around here," the dragon girl snickered.

Shadow shot off the ground, curling himself into a ball. The hedgehog revved into a Spin Dash that Aliza rolled her eyes at and simply moved away. However, just before she moved, Shadow uncurled himself and kicked her straight across the face. Aliza plummetted towards the ground, just managing to flap her wings moments before a grisly impact. Dirt sweeped up onto her face, she was so close to the unforgiving ground. Shadow, not one to take any chances, revved up back into a ball, exploding in a black and red hue of colors. A golden-red shield appeared around his body, glowing vampantly brighter and brighter with each passing second.

Growling to herself, Aliza shot back off the ground. Her face still stung from the impact of Shadow's kick as it was like multiple bee stings in the same spot repeatedly. Shadow shot back at her with a Spin Dash, but several Chaos Spears suddenly shot out towards her frm the high speed oval. Aliza quickly dodged them all, but Shadow hurled himself straight into her chest with his Spin Dash. He plowed directly into her, and a trench formed on the ground once they crashed. Wow, that sounds really dirty. I can't wait for Kumori to see this!

"Chaos Spear Dash," Shadow calmly stated, rising off the ground from his attack. "I created it in a match against Sonic. Naturally, I won since I'm the Ultimate Life Form."

"Ultimate schmultimate, whatever! You're so conceited," Aliza quipped, holding her chest in pain. "It doesn't matter though."

"Oh? And how do you incorperate victory into your schedule? There's no room available, except for you to lose," Shadow sternly growled, crouching slightly.

Aliza shot back up like a rocket speeding up in take off. An air wisped around her in utmost fury, launching a tornado in her eyes. Shadow grinned as she began to swipe wildly at him with long talons. Reaching into his quills, Shadow grasped something, until Aliza snagged his arm and headbutted him, shocking the hedgehog. Shadow grimaced, losing her footing as his forehead starting throbbing. Hovering over him in superiority, Aliza positioned herself on the ground delicately; her talons were out, poised to strike.

"Like I said earlier," she wickedly cooed. "You're conceited to in front of your defeat. Now, die!"

"Chaos Control!"

In that moment, Shadow vanished into thin air. Aliza brusquely halted, her eyes bulging and her mouth a tiny gape. Panicing, she hurriedly glanced around while a brow of sweat came to her forehead. Suddenly, Shadow appeared behind her and chopped directly down onto her neck. Gasping, Aliza's eyelids grew heavy, and her body grew tremoniously weak. Catching the unconsious dragon, Shadow placed her gruffly onto the ground. In his hand was the grey Chaos Emerald.

"It's like I said: I'm the Ultimate Life Form. Nothing can stop me," Shadow smirked, placing the radiate emerald back into his quills. Turning to his left, Shadow found Sonic facing off with Rodrigo, but what caught his eyes was Cesare leaning into his father's broken castle with a handheld communicator close to his beak. Shadow could make out his lips were moving, but he couldn't decipher what he was murmuring. Thoughts struck him, but one particulary stood out: Who was he speaking with?

To ignore Cesare and Shadow for a moment, Sonic and Rodrgio were in the heat of battle. Sonic curled up into a spiraling, azure sphere, spinning at uncontrollable speeds. Rodrigo raised his Ark moments his adversary struck. A black hole appeared in front of the cobalt hero, sucking him up like water to a dry sponge. The last words Sonic heard was Knuckles calling his name. Rodrigo victoriously smirked, his Ark pulsing in a dark hue. Creating another black hole, he was about to step through when Shadow snatched his throat. Mighty and Knuckles dashed over, but Cesare came from behind, literally jumping on their heads. Both fell to the ground, holding their heads in humilation.

"Where's Sonic?" Shadow demanded, choking the devious, ebony crow.

Just before Shadow could gets some answers, Cesare stabbed the hilt of his sword onto Shadow's neck. Sucking in a sharp breathe, Shadow's hand slowly moved away from, and he dropped to his knees. Closing his hands, he dropped over and fell unconsious. Cesare sheathed his sword, remaining emotionless.

"Good job, Cesare," Rodrigo complimented, stepping into the black hole he created.

"Thank you, Father," Cesare replied, eyes downcast. "I'm going back inside the castle to check on Sirin."

"Alright, let me take care of this garbage," Rodrigo sneered, facing the black hole. He stepped through, adding, "One last thing, get rid of the trash. Throw them off my island!"

Tagio, whose feathers were starting to peel off from the impact of Knuckles' hit and scorch marks started coming to replace them, weakly got up. He dragged Knuckles and Mighty towards the edge, throwing them overboard. He placidly watched as they fell several hundreds of feet through the air, hitting the sand with two _thuds_! Following the same suit with Shadow, he noticed that Cesare had already left to go inside. Thoughts filled his head, but Tagio blindly ignored them because of sheer loyalty to Cesare.

With Sonic, the situation was starting to bother him. Surronding him was simply grey. Grey ceiling or sky-he couldn't honestly tell-, grey floor panels, and all color was visably absent. Sonic decided that this place was officially the most dreary place in the entire universe. The blackhole that had consumed him vanished, and another took it's place. Rodrigo leaped out, landing on one knee. Sneering at the hedgehog, the color of his metal ark glew darker. embracing a restless black hue that covered the gravity bracelet. He smirked, eyes glowing a slime green.

"Took you long enough," Sonic jeered, rubbing the undersid of his nose. "I was getting bored standing around and staring at grey walls."

"Well, better get used to it because this will be your grave," Rodrigo chortled.

"One question for the forty-nine thousand dollar prize, though. Tails informed me that all of the Arks of the Cosmos were destroyed before you kidnapped him, creep. Why do you have one?" Sonic asked.

"The Arks of the Cosmos were our greatest creation! But my accursed son destroyed them," the heartless crow malevolently hissed. "So, I used an idea from her: Light and Dark Gravity."

"Her?"

Rodrigo continued as though Sonic hadn't spoken. "Were you involved with the Gaia incidents about two months back? Yes, you turned into a mutant werehog."

"Whare are you talking about? You were dead during the Gaia incident!" Sonic cringed at the memories of his werehog days. Traumatic stress were beat through through his heavy, dark azure coat like a madman. Fangs protruded his mouth like some sort of deformed vampire. _Amy Rose_ didn't even recognize him! His number one fan and love! It hurt the hedgehog's heart just thinking about it, giving light pangs to his chest and heart. The only good that came of it was his friendship with Chip aka Light Gaia, and he saved the world. Again.

"You're correct, I should've been deceased, but my son found a way to escape Hell. That aura of his is like a crystal ball that predicts the future. My future. We waited for Dark Gaia to eclipse the world in its rage, and once Earth broke apart, we escaped into the world of the living!" Rodrigo exclaimed, brightening at the ghastly memory.

"Wait, you still didn't answer my question! How did you create a new Ark?"

"Arks, you mean. My Light Ark of the Cosmos was stolen, but I stil have the Dark Ark." Rodrigo gazed at its brimming, jet black color and aura that seemed to drift darkness into the grey area. "So, I snuck in during your brawl with Dark Gaia, and once that...dog, Chip or whatever his name was, transformed, I took samplings of their blood before Dark Gaia died. With Cesare's aura, I completed the Light and Dark Arks of the Cosmos."

"That's a mouthful," Sonic bluntly stated; Rodrigo facefaulted, "but you used my friend's blood to create something that could kill! Not to mention that you also kidnap Tails and Cream! To me, that's unforgivable!"

"So, let's stop yapping and fight!" Rodrigo shrieked.

Using his trademark super speed, Sonic darted at Rodrigo with a fist prepared. Rodrigo raised his hand, and a pulse of black matter came to him before flying out. A beam of of darkness blasted out from the small jewel inside. It expanded, but Sonic leaped over it as it nearly grazed the sole of his sneakers, and the beam crashed into a wall. Rodrigo growled to himself, shaking his head in bewilderment. Curling back into a back, Sonic launched a Homing Attack straight for Rodrigo's head, but he released another black pulse that suddenly forced Sonic to the ground.

It was gravity, but much more powerful. Sonic pushed to his feet, spinning into a ball that Rodrigo sneered at. Rodrigo created a black hole, enveloping Sonic in. Another black hole opened behind him, shoving Sonic out. Gasping, Sonic glared back at the sly crow, emerald eyes aflame. Realizing that Rodrigo could simply send him away if he just used his spin attacks, Sonic's amused smile widened.

"What's so humorous?" Rodrigo catiously demanded.

"Alright, I figured it out. So you basically just use black holes and gravity to get rid of my spin attacks," Sonic concluded. "Looks like I'll have to bring in some more speed! Let's go!"

Using his hyper-sonic prowess, he bolted in a zig-zag formation. Rodrigo hurriedly glanced around, sending Gravity Beams galore in every direction. Each one was a miss. Sonic tapped Rodrigo's shoulder before dashing off once he looked to his right. A vien sprouted in Rodrigo's forehead as Sonic started to make crude faces at him.

"Damn rat! Stay still!" Rodrigo shrieked.

"Sonic Wind!"

"What the-?!"

Gashes of aquamarine wind suddenly slashed at Rodrigo's body. Instead of crying out, Rodrigo gritted his teeth together to prevent weakness from showing. Sonic appeared in front of the fallen crow.

"Guess I'm just too fast for your little gizmo," Sonic smirked.

"I-I beg to differ," Rodrigo groaned, starting to his feet.

Sonic noticed something new on the injured crow. His pupils turned into python-like slits, and the his Dark Ark started to actually grow. It slithered alongside his arm until it reached his elbow, glowing officially pitch black. Rodrigo panted, before cracking his neck at Sonic with an estranged smile.

"Let's settle this..." Rodrigo cooed.

---

Location: Mystic Ruins

The Babylon Rogues' airship was parked on the outskirts of the forest in the Mystic Ruins. Wave, Vector amd Storm found the blood message Espio left, each wincing with disgust. Storm was left to clean that mess up. Vector was holding onto the Ark he had stolen from Rodrigo on Babylon Garden, completely oblivious to Wave morbidly strolling past his room. Her head was hung low, and her feet dragged, slumping along the ground. The events struck her hard from Jet's betrayal, even though she had no idea she was being controlled by Rodrigo. The violet swallow grabbed her Extreme Gear from her room, noticing a few of her prototype Gears had been casually thrown across the floor.

Storm stared at the bloodied cloth in his hand, a look of contempt visable. Grumbling to himself, he threw the cloth in Jet's trashcan. Jet's wooden desk lay aloft in front of him. He was so used to Jet ordering him around that it was strange being in silence for once. Storm rubbed his large hand against the desk, sighing. Quiet footsteps gently tapped outside the room, gaining his attention. Quietly staring out, he quickly snatched his Extreme Gear when Wave suddenly jumped out of the airship. He already had a feeling that she was going to do something stupid like try and save or kill Jet. Storm darted after her, jumping out the same window.

"Wave, where are you going?" Storm called as they started to ride while he was a few paces behind her.

"Don't follow me!" Wave shouted, speeding on ahead.

"Hey, answer me!" he whined as Wave dashed into the woods.

Refusing to answer, Wave muttered curses under her breathe. Her eyes closed as she swerved around the hundreds of trees. Following a narrow stream that hung onto a trench, Wave noticed a small wooden shack of a home with a large purple cat with streaks of a deeper violet hunging on his arms and long, bushy tail.

Big the Cat's yellow eyes stared at her for a few moments as she stared back. In his hand was a fishing rod, and in the other was a frog with the same beady eyes. Wave trembled as the cat simply cocked his head slowly at her. The cat grinned, eyes closed until the frog suddenly hopped straight out of his hands and into Wave's eyes. The swallow stared at the frog with utmost disgust, her eye twitching.

"Froggy!" Big cried, thudding towards her. Suddenly, he tripped and nearly flattened Wave as he was only a foot in front of her. Froggy suddenly leaped out of Wave's hands, over Big's body and hopped into the forest. If I were that frog, I would too. Big rolled up like the fat cat he was, stretching before hobbling off. "Froggy! Come back here!"

"That was weird..."

"Sure was, Storm." Wave paused, glancing over her shoulder to find Storm waving down at her. She dashed off once more, her Gear driving down purple streaks in the air that left Storm in the dust.

The albatross coughed, shielding his eyes from the waking stream of air. Big's screams for his frog were the last thing in his mind at the moment. If anything happened to Wave, he knew that he or Jet could ever forgive him. Rolling his eyes, he called out her name once more and chased after her.

Sparks kicked up in their heated race. Streaks of violet and grey cascading around the forests, destroying the tranquillness. A few animals were nearly run over by the highspeed chase, and bushes were toppeled off by their roots. Up ahead was a large, golden temple with statues of echidnas holding spears marked with different metals, but a completely silver color. On the temple was a large, grating staircase that Wave dashed up along, and Storm simply followed. The top was relatively small, big enough for the two of them to sit down. Wave stood, staring at the world in front of her with misery-bound cobalt eyes.

"Wave, why are you running away?" Storm asked as she looked away.

"...I wanted to..." She cut herself, sitting down at the edge of the tiny roof. "Never mind. You probably wouldn't understand."

"Well, let me try to understand," Storm persisted, sitting down next to her.

"Why do you care? I hate the hawk! I don't even care about him anymore! What about you, Storm? I hate you!" she snapped, glaring at him with eyes that looked slightly puffy like she had been crying. "All you ever did was bug me! Laugh at me, annoying to no end! Each time you trifled with me, especially in front of Jet! What is your problem?!"

Storm raised his hand towards his chest as the diatribes flowed from her beak in a swift, mechanical manner. He glanced away, clearly sadden by the disgusting thought that Wave might've actually disdained being around him. That is was "part of the Babylon Rogues" to be around him. Sighing to himself, he didn't reply for a while and just stared out at the descending skyline.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this is you refuse to answer," Wave said fed up.

"...I thought you were going to leave him," Storm whispered.

She paused on the first few steps she had taken. Her board was clutched under her arm, straining with the sudden tightening to of white-knuckled hands. "What...what did you say?"

Storm glanced back at her, motioning to sit with his head. Obediantly enough, she sat down by his side and never took her eyes off him. "I thought you were going to try to leave him on your own."

"What does that mean, Storm?"

"Before you came to the Babylon Rogues, it was just Jet and I. We're like brothers, so affects me too. When you came along, something sparked inside of him that made me somewhat..." Storm paused, looking for the correct word. "Envious, that's it! I thought that bond was going to be altered since Jet developed a crush on you way back when. That's why I kept fighting with you so I could have some attention, and I really believed for a while that you hated me. Like a circle, the same crash course to his office, the same fight, a daily routine. Now...it ended." He stared over to her with a small grin. "Jet changed when you guys started going out. He became nicer, kinder, that kinda stuff. If you just gave up on him right now, I'd think that Jet would resort to something even worse than his father."

Touched by that sincere speech, Wave placed her hand in Storm's. "I'm sorry, Storm, and you're right. The Babylon Rogues are like a family."

"...So what am I?" Storm asked with intrigue.

"The older brother to the idiot hawk."

"Who's an idiot?"

Both gasped, turning their heads slowly to find Jet the Hawk on his Extreme Gear with both bashyo fans in his hands...

---

OC HOUR

Starring: GEMINI, RECTOR, ME AND...OH DEAR LORD...NO...

Rector woke up in a small chair in a secluded area surronded by four walls drapped with white. The light was turned on to reveal his cousin Gemini standing across from him. In his hand was a jar of honey, and he dumped the sweetness onto Rector's head. Just before he could strangle the rich hedgehog, Gemini suddenly whistled...and then...OH SNAP.

"HONEY!" At that moment, one thousand Charmys burst into the room as Gemini darted out. All that could be heard were Rector's screams or terror.

"That was for making me sit through hours of yaoi stories involving me," Gemini smirked. "Enjoy! Oh, and Kiba? Turn around."

I look behind my shoulder to find Sadako Yamamura standing right behind me with her deformed eye staring down at me and a large grin on her/his/it's face."GEMINI, I HATE YOU! I'M AFRAID ON THE RING AND TRANSGENDER WATER DEMONS!"

Gemini: XD

---

**Diabolical plots revealed with the inclusion of the power of Gaia. Can Sonic stand up to this soup-ed up Rodrigo? What will happen to Storm and Wave? Can Jet finally break free of Rodrigo's spell? Will Rector and I stay somewhat sane after our "encounters"? The answers to that last one is no! Stay tuned for the next Rogue's Bee!**


	11. I'm Not In This Chapter pt 2

Characters (C) Respective Owners

Warning: MY WORST QUALITY EVER. *goes emo like Sirin and Cannon*

Cannon and Sirin: D:

---

Ch. 10: I'm Not in this Chapter pt. 2

In your sleep, there is an even percentage that you could dream. The events in the dream correlate depending on the day's events, and some even have predictions of the future. However, insidious nightmares dwell inside the mind, and several studies fabricate that a nightmare brings out your worst fears. Sometimes, it can affect reality, and your body will react differently than normal.

For Storm, he was currently living in a nightmare. Jet's eyes were violet, dreary and unpleasant with an X in each eye like he was branded a slave. His once vibrant emerald feathers dulled loftily, and on his wrists were no tattooed flames at all. Just bare feathers in a sickly pale green that Storm didn't recognize at first. He was so used to seeing those prideful flames everyday that it was like staring at a different person. He wasn't smirking like always, but a placid, morbid frown replaced it. Storm knew that this was a pernacious semblance of his former shell of a leader, and for the first time in a long time, he was scared.

Though she had been very keen at hiding her emotions, Wave couldn't resist the insufferable fright that was standing in the form of her love. Her cobalt eyes welled with some tears, but her history as a thief forced her to remain calm on the outside. Deep down, her heart was in complete turmoil like if a gun shot her, stopped her breathing, and was still alive to live forever in pain.

"Under the directions of Lord Rodrigo, I've come to hunt you both down so there will be no more heirs for the Babylon Rogues," Jet mechanically stated, gripping his bashyo fans tighter. "Afterwards, I am going to drown myself in the nearest lake so my tainted heritage is gone forever."

"Wave, get outta here," Storm ordered, nudging Wave lightly as they got staggedly to their feet.

"But Storm-!" Wave cut herself off at Storm's pleading look.

"If you die then I'd never forgive myself," Storm murmured. "Jet wouldn't forgive me either."

"Fine, just don't die," Wave muttered reluctantly. "Good luck, Storm. Bring him home."

The wind rustled behind Storm with violet streaks from Wave's Extreme Gear, signifying her leave. Storm sighed blissfully, knowing he saved someone, and now it was his job, no, his duty to bring Jet back. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Wave's ant-sized form in the distance before returning his unsteady gaze towards Jet.

"You sent her away," Jet bluntly said. "Any reason why?"

"So you wouldn't hurt the one you love, Jet," Storm snarled. "Tell me something."

"Yes?" Jet cocked his head, interested.

"What made you leave? We've been like a family ever since Wave joined us several years ago! You, me and her! Then we got Charmy, Bean, and even Sonic! They care about you! What's wrong with you? Just how could you play us like that like some chess game where you killed all the pawns!" Storm's fists tightened. Rage welled up inside of him, but he kept himself steady. "Let me just tell you something. I knew you before everyone, even Wave. You're not you anymore, Jet. I knew the true you! The one with valor and heart, though he was stubborn as hell, he was my best friend! What made you leave?"

Jet struggled for an answer, and his beak was left a tiny gape at the albatross' painful cry. He coughed into his palm, clearing his throat. His mind scrambled for an answer, but Rodrigo's mind control was too powerful for him. He couldn't reply at all, but deep inside his consious, he was screaming for help. For Storm to save him and free his soul from the demons inside and out.

"No answer? It's sad, Jet that I honestly tried too hard for me to watch you fall from grace," Storm cried, eyes downcast. He shot his head up at Jet, confidence suddenly renewed, a fire burning hotly through his heart. "I'm bringing you back, no matter what! Even if it kills me, I will save you!"

"Try as you wish, Storm, you'll simply fail like usually!" Jet roared, his tone darker, malicious, something that wasn't his own, and Storm knew it.

Jet slashed his bashyo fans downward, creating a gust of wind that made Storm stumble. Surprisingly swift, Storm snatched his Extreme Gear and flew away from the torrent of wind. Jet dashed after him and quickly lashed out at him with his fans that seemed sharper than before. He grazed Storm's arm, like several papercuts struck him. It was hardly effective to take the powerhouse albatross down, and he snagged Jet's wrist.

Wriggling in his grasp, the dark emerald hawk growled, ceasing his futile struggles. "Are you going to actually hit me?" he cooed with a snicker.

Storm winced. He had never actually "hit" Jet since that would be going against his father's wishes. Loyalty to Jet was what Storm lived by like a daily motive. However, he held Jet over to side of the airship for a raise a few times, but was that really so bad? That was...somewhat plausible, right? Heck, Wave did it once with him supervising. She "accidentally" dropped him, and Storm had to scramble to catch him before hitting to unforgiving ocean. Storm quickly grabbed Jet's other hand to weaken him.

"I think you know the answer to that," Storm said lowly.

"Storm..." Jet's voice cracked, but he suddenly whiplashed his knee against Storm's chin and was released. "You'll die, fool! Don't play games with me since I will kill you!"

"J-Jet!"

Jet cracked hs fist against Storm's skull, and Storm fell off his board. Falling hundreds of feet in the air, the wind slammed down on him back and forth with gravity propelling him down to his doom. There were two alternatives: Die on impact or try and grab hold of the temple. Storm reeled his fist back and smashed it against the side of the ancient echidna temple. His free falling halte when he was ten feet away from death. His entire body trembled at the near-death experience, and he felt his body go slack.

Jet stared down at him, his beak a small gape. He closed his amethyst eyes with a snicker. However, Jet's laugh stopped imediately when Storm fell to his ground on his knees. The mission from Rodrigo hung over his head, corrupting his thoughts of assistance.

Storm smirked at his "Boss", waving him down. Jet grimanced as the grey rubbed his large fist. His glove was torn from the gold metal and rock of the temple, and small amounts of blood could be seen trailing down off his fingers. His eyes flashed teal for a moment before glowing ruthlessly violet. As Jet dove down at him, Storm noticed that Jet's body continued to twitch sometimes. Preparing himself, Storm blocked Jet's onslaught of kicks, and Storm wildly swung his fists down at him, hoping to at least scare and not harm him. One actually connected with Jet's forehead, and he flew backwards into the side of the temple.

"S-sorry," Storm meekly apologized as Jet struggled to sit up. "Uh, you need some help?"

"Sure, you can die for me than my master and I will be happy!" Jet shrieked. His chest feathers glew a darker grey, almost black.

Jet lunged at Storm with raw anger as his guide. Storm wracked his brain for any solution to snap Jet out of his funk, but he pushed all thoughts to the back of his mind when Jet's talons suddenly slashed across his chest in pain. Fine, clear, faint lines of scarlet poisoned his white chest feathers. Jet's long, sharp-as-knives talons curved around Storm's throat, but he didn't choke him.

"Jet...your eyes! They're not yours! You're not really with Rodrigo, are you?" Storm asked softly though death was once again at his door.

Jet's arm faltered for a split second before returning at Storm's throat. This time, he was gripping lightly at his necklace with his other hand. "Silence! What do you know, Alba?!"

"Alba? Heh! I haven't heard that name in a while. You used to call me Alba when we were really little." Storm's smile grew even though death as wavering over his head like a raincloud threatening to spill its tears. "You even got Wave to call me that for a while."

"S-Storm...Alba..."

Storm's eyes widened at Jet's eyes. His eye were switching back and forth between his normal, confident teal and putrid purple. The X in his eyes were stil there, but greying. Jet removed his hand and clutched his face in pain like he was on fire. Storm's face brightened almost instantly like the sun was on his side for once.

"Boss, you're really you. It's you under there! You're under a spell, aren't ya? C'mon, fight it!" Storm urged.

Jet's mind was screaming at him to obey or disobey like two halves of the same war. Much to their surprise, the black aura Cesare bestowed on him slowly traveled up his arm, previously invisable and slowly entered his pores. Crying out with shock, Jet's eyes were lighting up, and his eyes remained a stationary teal. His ragged feathers turned lighter to the original jade.

"Boss, are you...?" Storm backed away as Jet started to his feet.

He grasped his head, nearly tripping himself. His eyes still contained those grey X's. "Storm, what-ugh!" Jet fell to his knees, holding his head in absolute pain. A throbbing headache struck him hard, and he nearly started to cry from the immense pain. "My head! Oh, my head's on fire!"

"Jet!"

Storm's head rose up at the feminine voice. Wave darted through the woodland, and she leaped off her board. Her Extreme Gear soon crashed into the temple and combustly exploded, making Storm wince. She, however, didn't care if all of her boards were destroyed at the moment. Jet glanced up at the swallow, and he recoiled backwards. She looked at Storm, concern wracking her features.

"Wave, Boss is being controlled by Rodrigo! Everything he did was under Rodrigo's influence!" Storm cried.

"Jet, can you see me?" Wave asked, cupping his head with her hands.

"Wave?" the hawk slurred. Suddenly, Jet's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he managed one last sentence in a dream-like quality, "What's...going...on?"

"Jet!" Both screamed, going to their leader's side.

---

Location: Babylon Garden

With everyone's favorite true blue dude with 'tude...Wait, what? OMFG, I have got to stop reading Archie Sonic comics when writing manuscripts/stories. I'm rambling again, nevermind. With _Sonic_, Rodrigo's Ark was up to his elbows. A dark pulse continously emited from the Dark Gravity Ark of the Cosmos, filling the grey area with a steamy mist. Sonic rolled his jade eyes, completely unpersuade by the transformation. Taping his foot, Sonic simply beamed his trademark smirk.

"A creepy transformation is supposed to startle me?" Sonic yawned. "Booooring. I've faced an evil water god, metal copies, giant monsters, metal overlords from said metal copy, and Eggman countless of times. You think I can't beat you?"

"I suppose that, at the moment, I'm as powerful as the Chaos creature," Rodrigo mused. "Perhaps at level, well a high level. I'm not exactly sure."

"Than what's the point of comparing yourself to him? You're not a god," Sonic sniggered.

"Yet, but I soon will be. Don't worry, hedgehog, you'll meet death in due time." Rodrigo levitated off the ground, a monsterious dark aura surronding him muck like his son's. "One last thing before you perish, again: Tell Cannon that I say "hi"."

Sonic darted at Rodrigo with speeds unmeasureable. With a punch ready, Sonic leaped into the air and launched a homing attack. Rodrigo suddenly ducked, and he flew straight over the crow's head. Catching Sonic's leg, he aimed his Ark directly at his face.

"Dark Gravity Beam!" Rodrigo shouted. A beam of gravity drapped in darkness fired at Sonic, but the speedy hedgehog quickly avoided it. Sonic curved into a ball and dashed at Rodrigo, but he simply created a black hole at the last second before colliding. He appeared right behind the devilish avian, and Sonic turned around to find a fist planted onto his face. Rodrigo slammed his Arked fist to the ground, forcing gravity to suddenly slam onto Sonic. He was forced to the ground as though a ton was shoved onto his back suddenly. He strained his body to move, but he couldn't even lift a finger.

Rodrigo sneered, flying over. Hovering over the gravity-crushed hedgehog, he knelt down and cupped Sonic's face with long, ebony talons. A scythe appeared in his hand, and Sonic's emerald orbs widened.

"Remember this? Right, you probably do the first time we met at Eggman's base, the Crimson Tower, MeteoTech's control tower where gravity has no means," Rodrigo chortled. "I used this special scythe that I stole from that pidgeon to stab and kill that arrogant chameleon girl in the guts when it was supposed to be her weasel slave, boyfriend, whatever. Anyway, I'm just going to slive your throat and watch your blood gush. Okay?"

Sonic grimaced as the scythe cupped his chin, but as though the heavens opened up, Rodrigo suddenly fell back in pain. Sonic blinked as the gravity returned to normal and obligated himself to thank grace. Rodrigo clutched his head, cursing endlessly. Anyone under twelve would've probably been scarred from the foul Sonic heard Jet's name leave his crafty beak, he snatched the crow's writ, halting his rant.

"What's wrong with Jet?" Sonic demanded.

"He's broken free, weakened my control with his comradery to Storm and love for Wave!" Rodrigo frantically shrieked; Sonic blinked his head in confusion, having no idea what was going on. "I have no time for you! Farewell!" His Ark glew deviously, making him vanish.

A bright light suddenly engulfed Sonic, and he found himself back on the golden sand with Mighty and Knuckles. Shadow was rubbing the back of his head, and being the concerned hero, he instantly went over to him and asked if he was okay.

"I'm fine," Shadow grunted, slapping Sonic's hand away. "I was jumped by that coward Cesare and knocked out for a few minutes. What occured between you and that cur Rodrigo?"

Sonic explained what happened in Rodrigo's little world. He noticed that Shadow was glaring up at the darkening sky overhead when he realized that he was staring up at Babylon Garden. There was nothing there except for the castle the hung blindingly in the skyline as the sun just started to go down. The brush was hidden with deeping greens, browns and reds. Both turned around when Mighty and Knuckles began to stir. Shadow grasped Knuckles' hand as he stumbled to his feet.

"Ow! It feels like a brick was dropped on my head," Knuckles groaned, rubbing his sore head.

Mighty shook his head, and sand came out of his ears. "No wonder they were so itchy! Sand must've got in my ear when we somehow got over the edge of Babylon Garden."

"No way, genius," Knuckles sarcastically retorted, rolling his eyes. "So what now?"

"Let's go find Jet," Sonic proclaimed.

"What about Tails and Cream?" Mighty suggested.

There was a moment of silence. They had totally and completely forgot about Tails and Cream getting kidnapped. Shadow slapped himself on the forehead, cursing underneath his breathe. Groaning, Knuckles stated that he didn't trust Ray with the Master Emerald and wanted to go back to guard it. Mighty was instantly offended at the echidna's distrust over towards his best friend, but kept it inward. Sonic faced Babylon Garden, glaring haughtily at it.

"We'll save them once we go figure out what happened to Jet. Rodrigo said while I was fighting him that Jet broke free from his control with Storm and Wave's help." Sonic pumped his into the air. "Don't worry, Tails, Cream, we'll save you!"

"...I have to go the bathroom," Mighty murmured; Sonic and Knuckles facefaulted while Shadow sweatdropped.

"Thanks for ruining the cheesy ending, Mighty," Shadow stated. "I honestly mean that."

"Hey!" Sonic whined. "Not funny, Shadow!"

---

Location: Psyko's Dream/Nightmare World

All that Sirin the Sparrow wanted was to go with what destiny threw at him. You know, like an emo kid. Just kidding, or maybe I'm not. His mother died at a young age, forcing the sparrow to mature quickly without feeling the happiness or joy of life, seeing only the fatalistic point of view. He endured life while jabbing at everything life threw at him, believing destiny held the reins. However, he never truly embraced life or the boisterious choices and paths, and just strove though, taking no shortcuts or happiness with him.

Before Bean joined Cannon and Stream, Sirin was offered a spot on the Anti-Babylon Rogues from Cannon because of his swiftness with Extreme Gear and the ability to squeeze into small places. You know, because emos are thin. He accepted because he thought destiny choose this for him. It was also because Cannon's family was the family in charge of their tribe that had separated from the Babylonians. Being the male descendant of Rodrigo, he found himself obliged to join and get control under his tribe. Unfortunately, he would often go off by himself, greatly aggrivating the falcon and albatross until he finally left permanantly when he decided that Cannon was an incompentant leader. Bean soon replaced him without Sirin knowing.

Surronding him were sturdy pipes that looked like giant tentacles lazily slapped together. He wondered if he was in a deformed laundry room. A large metal boiler was the center point, emitting musty heat that made him gag. Sirin noticed holes in the wall the size of his senbon needles, and he instantly knew where he was.

"Welcome!"

Sirin swirled around, barely avoiding a slash from Psyko the Wolf knived gloves. The scarred sparrow narrowed his hatred-filled orbs at the smirking wolf. Sirin pulled out some senbon, leaping into the air. Throwing out a few dozen, Sirin's grin faded when a newcomer came in. A hand-crafted spear stabbed through each one of the Japanese needles. A wolf that looked exactly like Psyko except with blue eyes that contrasted with Psyko's charcoal eyes. He wore a dark blue jacket with matching slacks.

"Like I said, welcome," Psyko sniggered. "I'm known as the Dream Killer. Killed my guardian long ago, got killed by him, wen to hell, trained with Freddy Krueger, came back to life as this. The guy next to me is my unfortunately blind twin brother Somatic. Get it? Psyko-Somatic? Ironic, right?"

Somatic kept his eyes closed, rather ashamed of his blindness. "What's up?" he bluntly asked.

"Am I dead?" Sirin questioned.

"No, stupid, just asleep," Psyko informed. "Why do you think this is called my _Dream World_? If you get hurt or killed here it happens in reality." He raised his knived hand. "That's my power, and I'm pretty POed that you had the gall to trash my-" Somatic cleared his throat. "-_our_ world and making lames messages on my-" Somatic cleared his throat louder. "-_our_ wall. For that, punishment will be dealt severly."

Sirin tilted his head lazily, annoyed by Psyko's monologue. "Fate brought me here, but there's a fatal flaw in your world."

"And what's that?" Psyko demanded.

"Your brother is utterly defenseless." Sirin charged at them, senbon ready. His emerald eyes burned as he clashed with Psyko. "What happens to him affects him in reality as well."

"Dammit," Somatic cursed as Psyko headbutted Sirin. "Psyko, I think you'll only need yourself to win this. Finish him quickly."

"You don't want any action, brother?" Psyko questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Come on, moron twins," Sirin jeered, deviod of emotion as he regained his stability. "It would take over a hundred of you both to take me down."

Psyko barked foul curses that children under twelve shouldn't know. Psyko's knives gleamed ominiously like his fangs. He stabbed wildly at the sparrow in his wolfian heritage, but Sirin proved too swift. He dashed towards the maze of pipes, his predators following. He grimaced when Psyko handed his brother his spear, and his noticed a sheath at Somatic's side, carrying a large machete. Senbons would prove futile against him, but he was blind. How could he follow the senbon?

When someone loses a sense, the other senses-hearing, smelling, taste and tough-are increased from what he remembered Cannon saying. Sirin glanced down at them, completely oblivious to the spear thrown at him and was nicked on his shoulder. His crimson feathers covered the slash well, and he fled the slashes from the wolf twins. Somatic's ear twitched at Sirin's heavy breathing, and he slashed his machete down on one of the pipes. A gush of muddy, germ-infected water splashed out like a tidalwave, but Sirin quickly dashed alongside the pipes and reached highter ground. Sirin wondered how high the pipes could take him as he felt into his back pocket for more senbon, but felt nothing.

All of his senbon! Gone! Poof! Sirin gaped for a moment before collecting himself. Obviously, this was a test thrust at him by fate. If he failed, death would be imminent. Sirin remained perfectly stationary as Psyko and Somatic crossed the pipes, searching for him. Stiffly, he glanced down at them and sneered. If Psyko could control all reality here, it meant that accused wolf dispersed his senbon. That's when he contemplated a plan, a sick plan that would pit fury against love.

"Come out, come out where ya are, red chicken," Psyko sang heartily. "Heh! This loser reminds me of that purple chicken. Maybe they're related?"

"Psyko, you should be more careful," Somatic warned. "This one's sleathy. I can't even hear him."

"I know that, don't worry," Psyko assured confidently. "This one thinks he got me all figured out. He don't know a damn thing."

Somatic remained silent, hearing a rustle above them. However, Psyko just kept singing out for Sirin. Suddenly, Sirin dashed out from th pipe Somatic hacked upon and clung to Somatic's back, grapping him. Somatic winced, struggling in his grasp, and the blind wolf desperately tried to break free, but Sirin proved to strong. He dropped his machete, and Psyko's eyes widened in horror.

"You emo avian! Let him go!" Psyko shrieked, poised to strike.

"To get to me, you'll have to cut through your own brother. Would you risk that?" Sirin sneered.

Psyko froze in his tracks like he was splashed with ice water. "I said let him go! Now!"

"Ah, now you see my point of view." Sirin's eyes flickered with cold amusement. "Release me from my slumber or..." Sirin snatched the machete Somatic dropped in his shock, placing the sharp blade underneath his grey muzzled chin. "...your brother shall die here and in reality. Would you like that? To see his blood spill from his throat on his bed?"

Psyko was torn like he had been sliced in half, and he grinded his fangs until he thought his tongue began to swell. If he lost his precious brother Somatic, he'd lose his best friend. He promised to rid everything of the fatalistic sparrow, but he bit the inside of his mouth and lowered his arm. He hung his head towards the ground and sighed when Sirin lowered his brother's machete away from death.

"I'll let you live for now, but don't worry." Psykos eyes narrowed, rage overflowing. "I will find you and tear you apart, slowly and painfully. Nobody threatens my brother." With a snap of his fingers, Sirin was gone.

---

OC Hour

Starring: GEMINI, ARMAND, CARNAGE, WHIP, DAMIEN, RECTOR, AND ME

"Well, since I honestly can't think of anything to rant about, and Damien's still in his coma from listening to the Jonas Brothers," Gemini greeted, waving at the audience. He's sitting in a crimson, leather chair surronded by a fireplace in a dimly lighted room with wooden walls. "I decided to show a sneak-peek to the next Rogue's Bee since Kiba is currently stuck in the bottom of Sadako's well watching random animes from Sailor Moon to One Piece to Naruto to Tokyo Mew Mew. I think she tried to kill herself at the last one. Without Kiba's permission, here's Rogue's Bee for some random chapter!"

_Armand the Tiger was dead asleep in his bed. Two looming figures hovered over him, one being a red wolf most people knew as Carnage aka Armand's former slave owner, and the other was a pale orange rabbit people remembered as Whip whom participated in the Ex World Grand Prix II. Carnage started to poke the tiger's cheek, making him roll over and snuggle up in his blanket. Whip nudged his shoulder, and Armand groaned, rolling again. Carnage suddenly sat down on his former slave's chest, and Armand's eyes shot open when he leaned down a few inches away from his face. They stared at each other for a few moments before Armand screamed at the top of his lungs. Whip covered his sensitive ears as Carnage attempted to futily save himself from Armand's laser sword._

_"What the hell are you two doing in my room? Trying to kidnap me, you freaks?" he hissed, panting from his scream as Carnage fell to the floor._

_"We got some valuable information you may be interested in," Whip stated joyfully._

"And that's it!" Gemini jeers. "See you all next-!"

A large explosion can be heard, and Gemini winces. Damien stands there with Rector and me. Gemini flinches, suddenly bolting from his chair.

"COME BACK HERE SO I CAN KILL HERE!" Damien screams, dashing after him with a chainsaw in his hands. "YOU SOLD ME OUT TO RODRIGO AND MARINE! JONAS BROTHERS, JONAS BROTHERS!"

"I JUST WANT TO KILL FOR MAKING ME STAY IN A LOCKED ROOM WITH A THOUSAND CHARMYS! DO YOU KNOW THE MENTAL DAMAGE I SUFFERED?!" Rector roars, holding a machete.

"YOU SHOULD A PREVIEW!" I yell, following the chase.

"Me and my greed," Gemini moans.

---

**Hearts are eased and shaken. Spirits are re-newed and shattered by friendship and love, but they're are some that never recieve help. Is Jet truly free? Will Psyko get revenge for his humility? What is the true power behind Rodrigo's Arks? Why did this chapter suck? Find out on the next Rogue's Bee!**


	12. Time Warp pt 1

Characters (C) Respective Owners

Alice and Gemini (C) DarkspineSilver92

Damien (C) Slashbandicoot43

---

Ch. 11: Time Warp pt 1

So, where was I during this entire charade? Why, I was having a rather pleasant afternoon with Raine down at Twinkle Park. Since everyone called us a couple, we were allowed to go in for free, and the embarassment of it all went straight to my head. Raine didn't seem to mind the attention at all with people cooing at us every turn. "Aww, what a cute couple!" Or "Maybe they eloped?" or "Dude, that's hot" were some of the gushes thrown at us. We went on the roller coaster to which I threw up afterwards, got some cotton candy, won Raine a little ghost plushie in a bow and arrow competition, and I managed to not make myself look like a total tool and fool in front of her. Wow, first time for everything!

The sky was darkening, covering the horizon in a euphoric violet glow until it breached enternal black. Tiny dots of stars provided the only light we needed. Raine and I were fluttering back to her home, hand in hand. Raine was cuddlig the little plush I won for her. Her home was right up ahead, and I let her fly on inside.

"Oh, Charmy, wait," she called, making me turn around.

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked as she flew in front of me. Raine suddenly cupped my fist and kissed my cheek. I fell backwards in shock since it had been such a long time since she had actually kissed me. I rubbed my cheek, awe washing my features to wet clay.

"That was for a lovely day," Raine whispered, giggling into her hand as she blushed.

"Aw, that's so sweet!"

Both of us turned around to find a red wolf who made the jeer standing next to a pale orange rabbit. Carnage the Wolf and Whip the Rabbit both had sneers on their muzzles as both chuckled at our young love. Whip cleared his throat, nudging Carnage to stop laughing. Instead of turning back to us, they started to walk into the Virtex home. Questioning their motives mentally, both of us quickly followed them up towards Armand's room.

Armand the Tiger was dead asleep in his bed. Carnage and Whip hovered over him as Raine and I quietly snuck in behind them. We checked the other rooms, making sure Rector, Shade and Howl were still asleep. Thankfully, they were because otherwise Rector probably would've killed me on sight. Carnage started to poke the tigher's cheek, him roll over and snuggle up into his blanket. Whip nudged his shoulder, and Armand groaned and rolled once more onto his back. Taking this as his chance, Carnage suddenly sat down on his former slave's chest. Armand's eyes instantly shot open at the sudden pressure when he found Carnage leering at him mere inches from his face. They stared at each other for a few moments before Armand started screaming at the top of his lungs. Whip, Raine and I covered out sensitive ears from the boisterious, high-pitched voice. Carnage attempted to futily save himself by rolling off the bed to the floor as the fully awake tiger brought out his laser sword.

"What the hell are you doing in my room, you freaks? Trying to kidnap me?" Armand hissed, panting from his screaming. He noticed Raine and added, "Just where have you been?"

"With me," I stated. "I took her out on a date."

"A d-date? Without Rector's permission?" Armand's eyes bugged out in fear.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, asides from the fact you'll probably get killed in your sleep..." Armand bounced around a little, waving his hand. "Nice knowing you, tough guy. Anyway, why are you two here? It's almost ten."

"We got some valuable information you may be interested in," Whip explained joyfully.

"What's this information anyway? You two never told us," Raine questioned suspiciously.

"Before we tell you, Armand, we were wondering if your watch-gizmo-thing can travel back in time," Carnage said, pointing at Armand's watch.

"This? Unfortunately, no," Armand muttered shamefully. "I wish it could. That way I could've saved my father, and don't say you don't know him!"

Carnage's finger lowered in blunt annoyance as he was about to remark something rather terrible about Armand's father, the heroic Tobias Novak. Sighing to himself, he started to drag Whip out of the room. "Come on, we gotta go find a time machine or something."

"I know someone who has a time machine," Armand quickly responded, making the wolf and rabbit pause at his door, "but before I tell you, what's this information?"

"Alright, I'll spill. We've discovered that at one point of Rodrigo's ill-fated life, he was actually a good guy. Rage had driven him to the brink of insanity and revenge against his leader and royal partner Stolen," Whip reported with an air of dignity. "So, what we were thinking is that if we can stop this time period and change Rodrigo, then none of this would ever happen!"

"Wait...that means..." I paused, trailing off. The others waited for me to continue, but I simply shook my head. "Getting rid of Rodrigo, wow..."

Armand's former snarl softened to a grin of recluse, and he nodded with approval. He started to guide us outside and away from the Virtex home. Raine seemed to know exactly where he was going, but looked a bit nervous. Carnage began to comment of how "lame" Armand's watch was if it couldn't even tell time, but that left him with a large bruise across his face. Carnage quickly decided to leave the watch alone, but muttered how he would exact his revenge.

We traveled through the darkened streets of Station Square and passed through the hotel. Behind the hotel was an intersection/culdesac with bright, flashing yellow and red lights that nearly pierced my eyes. Armand created a visor with his hands as he started towards the flashing light towards two golden double doors and opened them both. Inside was a world that I never saw before. Gambling machines resided nearly everywhere in the dimly lighted room while several people of all ages were crowding the machines, placing coin after coin into the slots endlessly playing. Armand simply strode past them while Whip had to literally drag Carnage away from the gambling machines and scantily clad bar tendering women.

Armand knocked on the door to another room. Laughter and complaints were heard from inside as a fox girl wearing rather normal clothes consisting of a pair or blue slacks with a white jacket over a green shirt. She bowed her head to Armand out of respect.

"Nice to see you too, Alice," Armand greeted. "Is Gemini-"

"Ya-hoo! I win!"

"No! You cheated!"

All of us peered behind to found a dark rose/brown colored hedgehog wearning a pair of simple black slacks with a matching vest strangling a golden hound wearing the same jacket and shorts like the hedgehog. Surronding them was a some sort of library with a pool table in front of them. All of the colored balls were in the sockets while two striped balls remained on the table. Alice, the fox girl, rolled her eyes and shouted at them to break it up. The dog grasped his throat, panting as he fell to his knees.

"What was that for?" he whined. "I won far and square!"

"Yeah, well, I still say you cheated," the hedgehog growled. He glanced over to out group, finally noticing us and grinned at Armand. "Well, this is quite a shocker. I haven't seen you in a while Armand. Who are your friends?"

"Hey, Gemini. Meet Whip, Raine, Charmy, and..." Armand scoffed as his eyes rested upon Carnage. "...Carnage. Who's that?"

"Me? Oh, the name's Damien Angels," the dog sneered, pointing a finger at himself. "Just call me a

"He's also full of himself," Gemin sneered as Damien glowered back at him.

"Alright, enough with the charade of stupidity," Armand sighed, rubbing his temple. "Anyway, we were wondering if you perfected that time portal yet."

"The time portal?" Gemini paused, rubbing his chin. He glanced over to Alice with a confused expression. She simply sighed and pulled out a small clipboard from his pocket, and she nodded. "There's the approval, but what do you need from it?"

Carnage explained the charade to Gemini, who seemed rather intrigued by it. Throughout the entire time, I was hesitating on even pursuing the idea. I mean, I'm not that much of a coward, but something was patrolling around my head, telling me this was wrong. Shaking my head, I noticed that everyone suddenly left, and Raine was dragging my arm.

"Is something wrong, Charmy?" the butterfly asked, hinting concern.

"Oh, nothing! Everything's fine!" I quickly replied, laughing.

After Alice courted us towards the basement door, I noticed a few people were in a fight that Damien jeered on. An obese male human was gripping the collar of one of Gemini's human female employees, and her brown eyes pleaded with us to help. Gemini stopped abruptly to actually break them up. Suddenly, his body actually split into two halves as in two _whole _versions of himself. Strange, his name is sort of like a recollection of the constellation as well. The first Gemini's hand slowly powered up with this dark aura I'd seen on Rodrigo's evil Green Ark before it was destroyed and slammed it into an obese male human's gut. The man flew backwards and straight out of his casino. The other Gemini tended to his employee as she hugged and kissed his cheek.

"Alright, get over here," Gemini One ordered, glaring at his counterpart that did absolutely nothing. Once combined, Gemini waved his employee off and was met with a cold glare from Alice. "...What?"

"Nothing," Alice quickly responded, glancing away in jealously.

"Awww! She's jealous!" I cheered earning a bonk on the head from Gemini. "Why'd you do that?"

"I'll kick you in my incinerator and watch you burn to a crisp," Gemini warned, leering close to my face with a demonic smirk.

I cringed, hurriedly flying along with the group. Gemini chuckled behind me, following suit. Alice unlocked the black basement door, allowing us to enter. Gemini thanked her, telling her to wait here as we went down inside the rather damp, bleak room. Dust collected around the stairs, and I thought ghosts were looming around until someone tapped my shoulder. I winced, slowly turning around to find Carnage making a face at me through a flashlight. My heart suddenly stopped, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head before falling down the stairs. Raine slapped the wolf over the head and flew after me. Damien snickered before noticing that I was twitching and poked the side of my face with his foot.

Recovering, I glared over towards Gemini and Carnage before Whip pointed out an odd-looking device in the corner of the basement. Gemini flipped a lightswitch, and Whip stared over at the device once more, but it was covered with a dusty brown blanket with some small slices dragging around the base of the blanket. Gemini yoinked the blanket off, revealing some sort of grey cylindrical machine with random multi-colored wires attached at the base. A circle was at the middle of the cylinder with littlier circles on the top and botton of the circle. Next to it was a control panel filled with keys that looked like that'd go to some sort of computer.

"So, does anyone know what time period Rodrigo came from?" Gemini asked, tapping in a few buttons on the keyboard.

Nobody replied.

"Perfect, well, let's just hope this works," Armand muttered.

"Hope what works, former slave?" Carnage questioned.

"Stop calling me that!" Armand shrieked. "Anyway, Gemini and I worked on this for a while, and we added a function that allowed by typing in a person's name, we'll end up at their time period where their life was at the fullest."

"Really? Wow, that's so cool!" I happily jeered, flying over to the machine.

"I'm surprised how you can fall down the stairs and just shoot back up again," Whip amusedly snickered, covering his mouth.

Gemini typed in Rodrigo's name, and the machine grunted in protest. The circle in the middle suddenly sprung to life with a light blue light in the middle. Suddenly, the sky colored light evaporated to a scene of a field with flowers. I immediately thought that Gemini spelled Rodrigo's name incorrectly. Armand stared at Gemini with confustion in his wide eyes, and Gemini repeated Rodrigo's name into the machine. Still it was the same scenary. Raine noticed that an ebony figure was kneeling on the ground, grazing his talons against the flowers.

Oh, wait...that was Rodrigo...PICKING FLOWERS?!

Our mouths dropped open at the crow that looked completely out of place at the vastment of whites, pinks, reds, blues, and yellows. He seemed troubled, scratching the back of his head and sighed. Dropping his head, he slumped onto his back, staring at the sky. Seriously, how does he not see a yard sized vortex?

"So...what now?" Damien asked, poking his hand continously through the hole.

"Well, this has never been tested before, so who wants to play scapegoat?" Gemini asked.

"I do!" I cried, raising my hand eagerly. Slowly, I lowered my hand, adding, "Wait, what's a "scapegoat"?"

Gemini and Armand grabbed my arms, heaving me into the air before throwing me into the vortex. That's when I realized that a scapegoat was a pawn. Completely forgetting I had wings, I fell about ten yards from the air and landed smackdab in front of Rodrigo. I growled to myself, cursing Armand and Gemini under my breathe before Rodrigo's shadow loomed over me.

"Are you alright?" he asked, extending a hand towards me. "That fall must've hurt."

I grasped his hand before quickly pulling myself up. Yoinking my head back in disgust, I looked back up at the vortex, but my eyes suddenly widened in horror. There was no vortex. I couldn't see anyone or anything. No Raine, Gemini, Whip, Carnage, Armand or Damien. Nobody! I was stuck here...with Rodrigo of all people.

"Um, can you talk?" Rodrigo questioned, poking my forehead.

"Of course I can!" I barked, slapping his hand away. "Aaaaugh! Those jerks! All of them!" I throw an immediate temper tantrum, cursing each and everyone of them for abandoning me there. Stamping my foot on the ground multiple times, I growled, baring my teeth that looked like fangs. "I hate them! I hate them! I hate them!"

"Hate...who?" I stared up at Rodrigo with a glare before I quickly softened it from pure embarassment. Rodrigo cocked his head at me with a light grin on his beak. "That's alright. You don't have to tell me if ya don't wanna."

"Wait...you care?" I stated uneasily.

Rodrigo eyed me strangely, sitting back down on the ground. "Um, yeah. You're obviously confused on some subject."

"...Who are you?"

"Me? My name is Rodrigo the Crow, eighteen years old," Rodrigo introduced, patting my head. He had ebony feathers in a tight ponytail with a grey jacket on with matching shorts. He wore matching black gloves and shoes with a pair of glasses on his beak. "What's your name?"

I froze, sitting next to him. If I told him my name, then what? What would he do like slit my throat and rip out my entrails? I sighed, lowering my head. "I'm Charmy Bee."

"Charmy, huh? Interesting name." Rodrigo snickered lightly into his hand. "On Babylon, we have a flower named Charmy."

My head instantly went up, and for a moment, I forgot that I was sitting next to a monster. Rodrigo pointed a yellow flower next to me with black tips with five little leafs that were surprisingly orange at the tips and green like normal flowers on Earth. Rodrigo plucked it for me supposedly before staring at it. He stared at me for a moment before asking if I liked it. With no hesitation, I beamed up at him and nodded.

"Who are you picking them for?" I asked, mentally punching myself in the face for letting my guard down.

"Vanozza the Swallow," he quietely murmured. "She's my best friend, and I plan on asking her hand in marriage in a few days."

I paused, staring up at the supposed "demon" I faced and killed twice. Rodrigo turned away from me when he heard a voice call his name. He instantly leaped to his feet when a blue hawk started walking towards him. He hissed at me to hide somewhere so I dove in the patch of flowers and laid straigh on my back, lowering my stinger and prayed that I wouldn't get killed.

"Where have you been?" the azure hawk growled, glaring daggers at Rodrigo. He had jet black shoulder pads with a white sash around his west with a crimson vest on with matching slacks. "The meeting is about to start momentarily. Have you seen Vanozza anywhere?"

"Vanozza? No, no, I haven't, Stolen," Rodrigo stated, saluting the hawk.

"I heard you speaking to someone. Someone rather little." Stolen peered around, and my attenaes stood on end for two reasons: I may have been discovered, and the fact that he called me little. Nobody calls me little, well, alot of people do, but that's not the point! Stolen pushed past Rodrigo, staring around the flowers. "Hm, people I was imagining it."

"Yeah, you probably were," Rodrigo muttered under his breathe.

"What did you say?" Stolen's head shot up, glaring his chestnut eyes at Rodrigo's violet ones.

"I said nothing," he snarled back.

"Indeed you did, Rodrigo, you crazy slacker. The only reason you were chosen as a part of the Babylon Rogues was that you're a genius, but sometimes you turn mad." Stolen's grin widened as he approached Rodrigo. "Let me tell you something, stop working on your insane inventions. Gravity controlling bracelets? You're mad!"

"How the hell did this even come up?! If you just let Vanozza and I perfect the Arks of the Cosmos and Extreme Gear, we'd defeat the rebels against the kingdom!" Rodrigo pleaded. "Stolen, this will only better us. Isn't that what technology is for?"

"What you create is to be approved by the high council and my father. Your inventions so far have been nothing worth their time to look at." With those harsh words, Stolen brushed past Rodrigo, knocking his shoulder with his. "Don't be late to the meeting or I'll have your head. Tch, gravity bracelets and flying boards. Preposterious delusions!"

Rodrigo clenched his fists, his head hanging towards the ground. I could tell that he craved to absolutely pulverize that hawk. Rodrigo shook his head slowly and sighed, telling me I could come out when Stolen was long and far gone. I fluttered to my feet, staring at the forsaken crow with pity in my amber eyes. His eyes met mine, and he snatched the Charmy flower off the ground.

"Um, I know this isn't really any of my business, but..." Rodrigo stared up at me, tilting his head to the side. "...what was that about?"

"You see, I'm apart of a group called the Babylon Rogues with His Royal-Pain-in-the-Butt Stolen and Vanozza, three people per group each generation. We came together when we were thirteen, and I instantly did not like Stolen because of his irrevocably annoying mannerisms, and he is so self-centered! I hate him! The only reason why I even joined was to have my family sky rocket in power, and they were the ones that made me join." Rodrigo pinched his temple, sucking in a breathe. He sighed again, slumping on the ground. "Ah, this is probably boring you. Tell me about you, Charmy."

I cocked my head, sitting next to him. "You're...different."

"What's that mean?" he suspiciously asked, lowering his eyelids.

"Uh, nothing!" I quickly shook my hands to get him off my case. If he found out about what the future would hold, well, I don't know. He may not crazy or he may stay the same. Either way, it would make a huge impact on my future and life right now. "Well, I'm from a world called Earth, and on that world we got lots of different people like crows, bees, hedgehogs, hawks, albatrosses, falcons, foxes, rabbits, butterflies, wolves, lots of animals. I'm actually the prince of a fallen colony called the Golden Hive Colony, except, uh...a fire burned it to the ground. I was adopted into a detective agency with my friends Vector the Crocodile and Espio the Chameleon."

Rodrigo stared at me, eyes wide in complete surprise. "Really? How old are you?"

"Ten, and I'll be eleven in just a few months." I sneered up at the sky, looking for that vortex to re-open, and for somebody to just randomly come out. "I, uh, was wondering something..."

"Yeah?"

"Rodrigooo!"

Both of us turned around to find a beautiful sun yellow swallow with a single head feather in a ponytail clung together by a silver ring. She wore a grey, skin tight shirt with a black vest covering it up at her chest with matching slacks and a pair of darker yellow flames on her wrists and ankles. Her beak was a golden yellow color and smooth with purple sneakers and black stripes. Her gloves matched her sneakers that reached her elbows.

Rodrigo's face suddenly flushed, and he slapped me over the head out of instict. My face was shoved into the ground as he shot to his feet with a quirky grin on his face. He hugged the avain girl, and she embraced him back.

"Hey, Van," Rodrigo speedily greeted. "I-I was just coming to get you."

Vannoza chuckled onto her palm staring down at my struggling head-in-the-ground form. "Who's that?" she quietly asked.

My head shot out of the ground, and I glared over at Rodrigo. Snatching his hand, I reered my head back, made some sort of kitty roar, and seeped my teeth right onto Rodrigo's hand. Rodrigo reeled with pain, waving me all over the place until I let go. Rodrigo blew on his hand, and I noticed that he had white flames on his wrists. I glared at him, and he simply glowered back down at me. The height difference was completely noticable with him having about a foot over me.

"Both of you stop fighting!" Vanozza cried, making Rodrigo twitch. "Especially not in King Crooked's flower garden! He'll have your hide, Rodrigo."

"Are you the girl he likes?" I questioned, floating up to her face.

"Charmy!" Rodrigo shouted, his face turning bright cherry. "Get out of Vannoza's face!"

"Charmy?" Vannoza repeated, grasping my side. "Like the flower? Ah, how cute!" Embracing me into her chest, my face flushed bright red like Rodrigo's. Vannoza cooed at me, thinking I was probably five.

Rodrigo's beak gaped open, and he clenched his fists before sighing. "You're lucky you're a kid, Charmy. I'd throw you back wherever you came from, I mean, Earth," he grumbled, facing away.

I giggled, letting her release me. Vannoza beamed over at me, noticing that Rodrigo was sulking in a patch of flowers. Rodrigo suddenly plucked another Charmy flower and placed it in her headfeather. She blushed, laughing under her breathe. My brows furrowed completely in surprise. Was this really Rodrigo? Giving out flowers? I seriously wondered if I was in some sort of alternate reality where bad guys were good and vice versa. Or Gemini just wanted revenge after my little "outburst" on Alice. Rodrigo noticed my surprised, gaping expression and waved a hand over my face. Vannoza poked my forehead before I snapped back to normal. Vanozza immediately demanded in a soft tone that Rodrigo hurry and get over to the palace or Stolen would eat him. Rodrigo snatched my hand, dragging me off towards Stolen's palace, and I had a feeling that somewhere in Rodrigo's heart that the darkness was starting to grow

---

**All alone on Babylon with a somewhat normal Rodrigo, Charmy has no idea what's going to happen!** **Can Charmy somehow change Rodrigo? Will he go through with it? Can Gemini and the others figure out how to work the time machine to try and save Charmy? Stay turned for the next Rogue's Bee!**


	13. Time Warp pt 2

Characters (C) Respective Owners

---

Ch. 12: Time Warp pt. 2

Everything was completely awkward in my head. Half of my brain was shrieking at me to run away while the other half was curious to find what truly lurked inside Babylon's past. Maybe I was just eager to see what Rodrigo's younger personality withheld. Who knows? Perhaps he was a psycho-freak after all, just betrayed. I wouldn't really know such a trivial burden in my stead. Sure, I've been betrayed lots of times like when Stream and Bean turned out to be Rodrigo's Anti Babylon Rogues with Cannon, but the biggest betrayal to be was when I learned that the Babylon Rogues' fathers decimated my entire kingdom and family. Sometimes I felt like cracking Jet's neck for defending that scoundrel at times, but I kept my hatred hidden so I could still keep their trusts. I'd definately need it today.

Rodrigo and Vannoza walked off in the castle while I flew besides him. I kept a steady eye him, collecting each one of his behavioral patterns. So far, he seemed to beam whenever Vannoza spoke to him, and sometimes he'd mildly flirt with her. Vannoza simply chuckled into her palm each time. I bit my lip, looking away in complete astonishment like I was drowning in a bucket of ice water.

_This isn't Rodrigo,_ I thought, subconsiously clenching and unclenching my fists, _but some freaky imposter! Uh, what do I do!? Run? Scream and panic? Maybe I should scream that he touched me in a bad spot! Yeah, that could work! I mean, Cannon probably suffered from that!_

I paused, recalling Cannon and how..unhonorable his death was as Espio would place it. Sometimes I would just reflect on how his life went, and I wondered how Rodrigo plagued his mind with illusions of sincerity from his poisonious grasp. Of course, that's the moment that I noticed that I had stopped fluttering along with Rodrigo and Vannoza. I blinked, looking around and found that they were no where in sight. Funny since this seems to always happen when I try to think. Heh, maybe I should just try to stop thinking at all!

"Hey, stop spacing out!" Rodrigo ordered, cuffing me over the head.

Instictively, I snatched his jacket with venom leaking from my glower. "Don't ever touch me, murderer!"

"M-murderer?" Vannoza murmured.

I gasped, realizing my key mistake. This was the past Rodrigo so anything I said would be confusing. "N-nevermind, I mistook you for someone else for a moment," I mumbled, turning away.

"But who?" Rodrigo asked, grasping my shoulder. He reeled his hand back, nervously passaging his own shoulder. "I mean, if you want..."

"Oh, n-nothing! Just, uh, daydreaming about, um, you know..." I squirmed, smiling quirkily as an idea struck me. "That hobo with one eye and a hook!"

"...One-eyed hobo with a hook?" Rodrigo repeated in disbelief. "You sure got some imagination."

I giggled nervously. Great, just great. Now they thought I was just some crazy kid that probably was destined to be a homicidal maniac when he grows up! Or someone like Bean that blows stuff up for the "lulz" as he puts it. Well, explosions are pretty fun to watch; they're like circular fireworks and are destructive! Adhering myself to Rodrigo's side, I pretended to be thinking to myself when in fact I was listening in on their conversation.

"Rodrigo, have you decided on what component to use for..." Vannoza started, and off they went to "Techno-Land". Techno-Land was the place I dubbed for all the geniuses like Wave, Tails, and Eggman go for their little "projects". My head started spinning, and I felt my brain twitch at all of their fancy words, major experimentations, but I was able to pick up on one device. "...*something intelligent* Arks of the Cosmos *something intelligent*?"

"Arks of the Cosmos?" I repeated, sounding like I had no clue what they where. "Care to explain what they are?"

Rodrigo's face brightened, and he stopped dead in his tracks. Kneeling down, he took out a rather large blueprint that was literally blue and spread it along the ground. Four circular metal objects would aligned in a sort of circle with lines that pointed to another circular metal object. The four circles had different colors: purple, red, blue, and green. The one in the middle was yellow.

"...Bracelets?" I stated obliviously enough so they wouldn't suspect a thing.

"No! Not bracelets!" Rodrigo barked, slamming his hand into the ground. "The Arks of the Cosmos are gravity controlling brace-!" He paused angrily, and I sneered down at him.

"Come on, say it..." I urged, leaning closely to his face.

"...bracelets," he finished, blushing.

"It's not that bad, Roddy," Vannoza whispered, bending down by him.

Roddy? _Roddy?!_ Did she seriously just call him _Roddy?!_ Stifling laughter, I bit the corners of my lips to silence myself. Heck, Rodrigo or Vannoza may have possessed more power than they let on. Controlling myself which I found rather hard to obtain, I sat down on the grass as Rodrigo began to explain his idea.

"You see, Charmy, the Arks of the Cosmos will control gravity due to these special components inside of them called Gravity Opals," Rodrigo informed. "The Gravity Opals are a variation of the legendary Chaos Emeralds found on a planet known as Earth. During a cosmic explosion somehow from the great God of Destruction, Chaos, when attacked by the Echidna tribe, small parts of the emeralds chipped off and formed seven, tiny, multi-colored jewels known as the Gravity Opals. Somehow, by forces unknown to even us, they can control gravity. To stabalize such power..." Rodrigo wrapped his arm around Vannoza, making her chuckle. "...Vannoza and I decided to create these little devices-the Arks of the Cosmos-to utilize and control their power in hand-held bracelets."

"If you can create them, what will you accomplish? I mean, this sounds totally cool! Just tell me what's gonna happen when you do?" I questioned, prodding the paper with my foot.

Slapping my foot away, Rodrigo's smirk only widened in pride. "The Babylon Rogues are entitled to working with the monarchy. Remember that aggrivating blue hawk I was speaking with? That's Prince Stolen the Hawk, the only heir to King Crooked the Hawk. All of the other good king's children died, and they were all girls. Stolen was the oldest and the only son, so I have some respect for him just for living. However..."

"And here we go," Vannoza murmured, rolling her eyes.

Leaping to his feet, Rodrigo punched his fist through the air. Wildly shaking it about, the ebony crow began to curse Stolen with each foul word in the book. Sometimes, I wondered why nobody even heard this guy yell. Vannoza covered her beak with her hand, looking rather disgusted with her eyes narrowed. Heaving his shoulders up and down, Rodrigo's fist shook. Inhaling, he was about to rant again until Vannoza snatched his beak and closed it for him.

"Rodrigo, dear, not in front of a child, please," she requested, her eyes placidly blank as she glowered at him.

_Do all women have the power of dominating a man with a blank look? Wow! No wonder Wave has Jet hooked! He's deathly afraid of that!_ I thought as Rodrigo nodded uneasily.

Clearing his throat and trying to salvage what little pride he had left, Rodrigo decided to continue where he left off about Stolen. "Um, anyway, Stolen, Vannoza and I are in this war on the monarchy's side against rebelling factions. Their leader, a man named Rovere, is attempting to dethrone King Crooked with the his people that believe his ruling is absolutely unfair, and that only the families with power and wealth like mine, Vannoza's, and the Volpes can only be part of his ruling since they are the aristocracy." Rodrigo sighed as Vannoza handed the blueprint back to him, and he sheathed it into his pocket. "The king is a very kind avian, able to give out peace in his speeches that soothes everyone."

"So, let me get this straight: You're the "good guys" and are fighting a group of rebels aka the "bad guys" that are trying to over throw your King Crooked," I summarized, crossing my arms.

"Exactly," Vannoza agreed with a small bob of her head.

Suddenly, a thunderous bell crashed through the air. It had a strange resonance of a ship horn for some reason as it blared through the clearing skies. Rodrigo and Vannoza cringed, both leaping to their feet, and Rodrigo snagged my attenae as they bolted. I yelped as I was literally dragged along. If I could've, I would've stung Rodrigo right then and there just for nearly ripping my attenae off my head. I mean, any normal person would do it if their ear was being yanked off!

They charged through the flower field into a small path with grass and wildlife flourishing around us. I stared up at the trees since they seemed so much like the ones on Earth except with the branches winding towards us like they were ready to creep out and kidnap someone. The path lead towards a large midevil castle that seemed to don a light blue crystal theme with a charcoal drawbridge suiting as the entrance. There were towers streaming up in amazing heights that looked like they would reach heaven with spikes stabbing out like a defense mechanism. The drawbridge opened, but instead of parting towards us, it actually spread like a pair of double doors, and Stolen stood there.

"Took your sweet time?" Stolen quipped haughtily, arms crossed stubbornly like he was waiting an eternity. "Smelled the Charmys along the way?"

"Yes, in fact," Rodrigo retorted, glancing over to the spot where I had previously stood. His eyes widened at my tiny, one-inch form.

"I can shrink! It's a my thing; you wouldn't understand," I jeered happily, clinging to his arm as Rodrigo informed Vannoza of my ability.

"Probably, I wouldn't," Rodrigo muttered with a smirk.

Both of them followed Stolen like obediant little soldiers marching into war. I drunk in my surrondings: The walls were completely metal or steel with several doors on each side, leading to untold treasures. The doors had black latches on them, making them appear locked. The lights began to dim as we strode along, and I could just make out a huge pair of white double doors with the outline of flames covering half in black above a staircase. Squinting my eyes, I grimaced when Stolen and Rodrigo shared a glare just before they sauntered up the stairs. Stolen tapped the door, and it slowly creaked open.

The light was tremondous, as though a million suns resided in the room. I made a visor with my hands, slamming my eyes shut with the eyes. Rodrigo whispered down to me that it would die out in a few moments, and he was correct...for once. My eyes slowly re-opened, and the light had died down to a moonlight shimmer. A council of six birds all dressed in blue cloaks with tinted flames at the bottom sat underneath a man on a white podium. He was a dark brown hawk with golden crooked beak with chiding marroon eyes with the same uniform as the men below, but with a golden crown embedded with several types of jewelary. He seemed rather pleased by our entrance, silencing all conversation with a twist of his wrist.

"Ah, the Babylon Rogues," he kindly stated, his voice gravelly, yet filled with an unspoken youth. "Stolen, Rodrigo, and Vannoza, it's pleasant of you to come to greet me and my council."

All three bowed, lowering their heads in respect. Rodrigo and Vannoza got to one knee, holding one arm to the ground like a cermonial position. Stolen risen himself, staring up at the man. The hawk's council kept their unwavering eyes on Stolen, not making a sound.

"King Crooked, my father, your withering age hasn't daunted you ever," Stolen softly remarked as Vannoza and Rodrigo wisked to their feet.

King Crooked laughed heartily, placing a hand onto his heart. I grinned, knowing this guy wasn't bad in any sense. In fact, he seemed like the avian Santa Claus. I chuckled along with him until Rodrigo hissed at me for silence.

"I suppose you are right, my son!" King Crooked laughed, sighing immediately after. "Anyway, what news do your bring of us?"

"My leige, we report that the rebel troops have slowly crept along our border of our fair city of Babylon, named after our planet," Vannoza reported as though she were reciting poetry from an old mythology book.

"And their weaponry?" one the councilmen, a white seagull, questioned.

"For some strange reason, it seems that they have lost all hope in technology," Rodrigo exclaimed, fury coating the touch of sensability. "I've researched their moves, and the rebel leader, _Rovere_, announced this morning through our spycams that if he caught any of his rebels with a technological enhanced sword or any of the sort, they would be killed on the spot."

The council spoke briefly amongst themselves, consulting the information that dawned. King Crooked lowered his eyes, shaking his head morbidly. Slowly, he turned and walked down an of invisable staircase that I couldn't see until he rounded in front of the council.

"Rodrigo, isn't Rovere your father?" King Crooked asked softly.

"...Yes, sire, he is," Rodrigo murmured, his head shaking with disgrace. "I attempted to reason why my former father, but he lost all hope on our world."

My eyes widened in surprise. Rovere, the leader of the rebels against the kingdom, was Rodrigo's father? I suppose evil ran through the family through accursed blood, but I just prayed that their blood didn't taint Wave. Actually, I found it ironic that it was Rodrigo who eventually betrayed his kingdom and hype up a new war on Earth between his followers and the kingdom. What more was that his children, Cesare and Lucrezia, waged the war after Rodrigo died, and than...nothing more.

Stolen stifled laughter before clearing his throat. Jabbing an accusing finger at Rodrigo, he snapped, "Since you are his son, I propose that you be sent on trial!"

"Trial?! For what?!" Rodrigo screamed in outrage.

"I believe you have been corresponding with your father over ways to assassinate my father!" Stolen shouted.

A collective gasp ran dry through the air. I grasped Rodrigo's feathers, fear bubbling up inside of my chest. Vannoza desperately pleaded in Rodrigo's defense, but the accusation made Rodrigo go into a case study of shell-shock. King Crooked kept his suddenly hollow eyes on Rodrigo.

"Rodrigo...is this true?" he quietly demanded.

"No, sire, it isn't!" Rodrigo retorted. "I'm being charged with absolutely no evidence! How can this be true when I have proved nothing, but trust to you?"

"See how he hangs his head! A gesture of guiltiness!" Stolen rambled.

Rodrigo's eyes flared up as he slowly brought back his head. Rage embroided his features, and I didn't even flinch since I was used to the hatred gleaming on my present Rodrigo. The council stopped their conversations, flinching at the course, unadulterated fire shimmering in his violet orbs. Vannoza bit the side of her finger, bouncing on her heels nervously.

"Now you listen to me, your highness," Rodrigo hissed, glaring at Stolen. "For as long I lived, I've been entirely loyal to the kingdom. Not once have I ever betrayed you or your father. I plan to remain loyal even if my family and spieces name is dragged through the mud heiniously by your actions. Truthfully, I never expected this accusation to make the feathers on my neck itch to rip your entrails out." Rodrigo removed the glove from his left hand and than the other one, letting them drop sullenly to the floor. Sharp talons renacted as his hands, and I trembled as did the council. "I'm ready when you are, Stolen."

Stolen replied with silence, his eyelids lowering in mockery, Slowly from his back, he retrieved a pair of dark aqua fans like Jet's. Crouching, he sneered and shook his head. "I have been preparing for this tragic day. One of us shall leave this castle alive, and the other shall perish in the council and my father's debating room for his unholy grave."

"No, please don't fight! Not here!" Vannoza pleaded, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Stolen, Rodrigo enough!" King Crooked roared, but their cries fell on deaf ears.

The council began to shriek for order, but neither glanced away because if they did, weakness would be among that era of Babylon Rogues. Nobody wants to be weak and hold their team back from becoming saviors or murderers. All to well, I knew the feeling of losing one's comrade for my immaturity and failure. My precious friend was savagely killed and died slowly and somewhat painfully in a fight through a trick cast upon him and friends, and his name was Cannon.

I gripped Rodrigo's cloak tightly, biting my lip at the fight to ensue. Stolen dashed at the crow, lashing at him with his fans with speeds equaling Storm on Extreme Gear, focused, but rather clumsly executed. Whispering at me to hold on, Rodrigo swiped with his talons and caught the fans. Digging his sharp talons inside, he actually tore apart the fans and left Stolen defenseless. Rodrigo clapped his hands together, and on his forehead was a bright blue opal. I instantly recognized as the one Rodrigo gave to Cannon as a young falcon. It glew, and Rodrigo levitated off the ground. Stolen gasped before growling at his comrade.

"Magic?!" he snarled.

"Not the kind you would comprehend," Rodrigo cooed sickenly sweet, swinging his hand down.

Suddenly, Stolen's body was cast to the floor, and he struggled to stand. Veins began to pop everywhere as he attempted futily to get back to his royal feet. Groaning, he started twitching before flopping over. Rodrigo began to close his hand, and Stolen winced in pain. Rodrigo's hand soon turned into a fist, and the hawk's eyes widened in utter horror as he screamed. The echoes bounced along the empty, huge room like a canyon.

"Rodrigo, you'll murder him!" I shrieked. "Please, not another one!"

Rodrigo gasped, re-opening his hand like he had been possessed. Falling to the ground, Rodrigo fell to his knees in terror of what he had done. Scrambling to his feet, he bolted out of the room with me clinging onto him for dear life. Vannoza called after him, but to no avail. Rodrigo's panting was the only sound I could hear, but he seemed drunk as he ran. I shielded my eyes from the oncoming wind, gasping: Rodrigo was heading for a window, and he didn't know it. The crow's body fell through the open window, and he cried out for help. Returning to my normal form, I snatched Rodrigo's wrist with my both of my hands, and I realized that I saved his life.

"Thank you..." he murmured, terror seeping from the back of his throat.

"You're welcome," I earnestly replied. "Let's back to that field, where we can talk some more about what you've done."

Rodrigo said nothing as we floated along. However, he did glance back up at me and asked, "What speices are you? On Babylon, all of consist of several types of birds."

"I'm a honeybee, just a bee for short since they're a lots of people like!" I jeered. "Well, there used to be, I mean."

"Used to?"

I shook my head, not wanting to give him anymore ideas for his power and bloodlusted future. "Nevermind, let's go."

Rodrigo nodded, and I flew him back towards the flower feild. We drifted along in utter silence, and the quietness was starting to scratch at the back of my head. I believed that this was the beginning of his sanity slowly fluttering away like how I flew him back. The magic, I realized, was also gravity since that opal on his forehead had vanished when he bolted. I pondered on this if it was part of the Chaos Emeralds since from what Rodrigo reported was that the blast from Chaos had small shards cut away and molded in the Gravity Opals.

Upon arriving back at the flower field, Rodrigo's eyes suddenly rolled into the back of his head, and he flopped over. I yelped, but he just muttered that he would sleep for a few moments to gather lost energy. Within seconds, his eyes had fully closed, and he was asleep.

Sighing to myself, I stared back at all of the flowers. Being a bee, I had a natural affinity for flowers, and with all of the unknown ones, my mind raced to just pick and nourish them all. Sitting amongst the flowers, I randomly just gave them names: Amirose for the pink ones, Soniblue for blue, Jeteen for green, Waruple for purple, Shadack for black, and Storey for grey. I know, I'm amazing so keep the applause down.

Above me suddenly came a bright light blue vortex, and I stared up as Damien was suddenly hauled out. Unmanly screaming, the dog crashlanded onto me. Armand, Gemini, Whip, and Carnage followed, landing gracefully on their feet. Gemini sneered at Damien and I until Whip shoved him off. Coughing dirt out of my mouth, I glowered up at the group.

"Just what the heck were you guys thinking when Armand and Gemini threw me here?!" I growled, clenching my fists.

"We were just having fun," Damien whined.

"I just wanted to get back at you for insinuating I wasn't manly," Gemini stated with a shrug.

"That's not really a valid reason," Whip pointed out.

"So? Besides, Armand and I felt like it," Gemini reasoned.

Rolling my eyes, I noticed that Raine was no where present in the group. Armand explained with Carnage interrupting several times about his mother that Raine fled back to the Virtex abody because Alice had found out that apparantly Tomo had gotten word of Espio's nearly dead state and was ready to kill him because of his "comment". You know, the bitch comment? Yeah, he's probably going to die. Nice knowing him! Fed up with the scarlet wolf's insults, Armand tackled Carnage to the ground and a dust cloud formed around them. Damien cheered them on, throwing his own two cents in by saying that one of them did this to the person's mother or just plain shouting for violence. I immediately joined in, spouting my own nonsense. Seriously, how did Rodrigo sleep through all of this?

After everyone settled down with Carnage and Armand knocked out, Gemini slapped his forehead. Whip chuckled nervously to himself while Damien proceeded to color on their faces with a random black marker he had brought with him. Gemini faced with and forced my palm open, placing a sheath wrapped in brown leather. Unraveling it, I gasped with I found it to be the red kunai knife Espio gave me, but longer, and it gleamed under the sunlight.

"That's Rodrigo?" Whip asked, staring down at the sleeping crow.

"Wow, he's...like...peaceful-looking," Damien said with surprise.

"You've spoken with him, Charmy?" Gemini asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, he seems okay," I remarked, twirling the knife in my hand.

"Good, than you can do it."

"Do it? Do what?" My amber eyes wandered back at the trio. All three stared somberly at me, Damien included.

"Kill Rodrigo," Gemini ordered.

---

Present Time: Team Virtex Home

"LET ME GO!" Tomo the Chameleon screamed as Rector Rose restrained her by her arms. "I'M GOING TO KILL THAT NINJA WANNABE BROTHER OF MINE! I KNOW YOU'RE KEEPING HIM HERE!"

"Cripes, settle down!" Rector yelped, getting repeatedly bashed in the head by her elbow. "Stop hitting me!"

Nack the Weasel, Bark the Polar Bear, Bean the Dynamite, and Stream the Albatross simply stared at their ninja companion as she struggled in the dark rose hedgehog's grasp. Howl the Wolf and Shade the Echidna just blinked in confusion, exchanging looks with each other. A few minutes ago, Tomo rampaged into their mercenary agency, intent on slitting Espio's throat for calling her a bitch. Espio just stared over at his sister with a raised eyeridge.

"Wow. Nack, your wife is very..." Shade couldn't even finish her sentence, unsure of the right word.

"She must be a demon in bed," Howl commented slyly.

Nack's face grew rosy, and he glanced away. "You're just jealous, wolf," the weasel/wolf sneered, crossing his arms.

"What is going on here?" Raine cried, rushing into the room.

"Just where have you been?" Rector demanded, dropping Tomo on her head. "I wake up to this idiot trying to kill Espio, and you come home at eleven!"

"It's that late?" Raine mused.

"Don't give me that, Raine! I've been worried about you!" Rector snapped.

"Sorry, Charmy and I just went on a date."

There was absolute silence as the sentence hovered in the air. Tomo even stopped trying to strangle Espio with her wire. Rector just stood there with no emotion whatsoever. Howl's eyes widened in fear. He knew what would fall upon me soon enough. Shade whistled, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Rector walked right out of Raine's nursing room. Everyone followed, just watching Rector as he stood on the sidewalk right ouside his home as he stared forward.

"And just where might I find our little bee brat?" Rector questioned, eye twitching.

"Gemini's office at Casinopolis with Armand, Whip, Carnage, and Damien," Raine reported, knowing that I was screwed.

"...With my cousin...at a gambling place...with my cousin...with scantily clad women...with my cousin...and Armand and those other three idiots...with my cousin!" Rector gasped in several breathes, his shoulders heaving. "If there are three people that I don't like, it's Charmy, Gemini, and Sonic to an extent with Gemini too!" Facing the way of Casinopolis, Rector dashed out, screaming, "Now, I get to kick both of them to the curb! Win win situation for me!" Laughing manically, Rector vanished into the nightlife with a random car just swerving around him and crashing into a telephone poll.

"...That guy is amazing," Bean stated after a period of silence. "Can I, like, marry him?"

"No, he's mine," Shade growled, slapping Bean over the head.

"Why are we here again?" Bark asked.

"I have to kill Espio," Tomo informed. She paused, her finger in the air. She bolted back inside as nobody even tried to stop her. They gave up a while ago, too surprised at Rector's behavior.

Espio cringed as Tomo locked the door with a random key on the top. She cracked her knuckles, hovering over the younger ninja. Espio winced as Tomo leered down to him, her left eye twitching.

"Um, hi?" Espio murmured uneasily as Tomo said nothing.

"Why did you call me a bitch?" Tomo demanded quickly, pulling out her katana.

Espio sighed, lowering his head onto the tip of her sword. Rather disturbed at this, Tomo swiped her sword away, laying the blunt side on Espio's chest. The chameleon siblings remained in total silence until pounding was issued on the door.

"Just stay outside!" Espio shouted, surprising Tomo and everyone else. "Tomo, I do admit now that the comment was...raunchy and disturbing. Well, you can actually be one sometimes, but still. I suppose I was just fueled by sudden hatred that you would not help us defeat Rodrigo."

"Why should I?" she demanded lowly. "It's not like he did anything to me."

"He killed you, isn't that enough?" Espio reminded her.

Tomo said nothing, clenching her sword. Espio noticed that her gaze shifted towards all of the cuts on his body. She asked how he got them all, and he told her the story of his fight with Sirin and Jet's betrayal. What he didn't know was that the others were listening from the outside. Howl snarled, wondering why Jet would do such a dishonorable thing. Stream covered her mouth before having another one of her fainting spells. Bark sighed, lifting her over his shoulder.

"...I'm sorry," Tomo muttered.

"I..." Espio paused, realizing what she had said. "Did you just apologize?!"

"Save it, little brother," Tomo grunted, glaring playfully. "I'll just say that I'll forgive you so we can all go back to sleep. Alright?"

"B-but why?"

"If you hadn't given your life for mine in the Purgatory, I wouldn't be here," Tomo explained. "For that, I never properly thanked you."

Espio suddenly pinched Tomo's cheek, and she yelped. Rubbing the spot where a red mark was forming, Tomo glowered down at him. Espio thought he was dreaming so he pinched her to know if he was in reality. Tomo socked him over the head, and Espio slammed back onto the bronze bar that supported the bed, knocking him out cold. Tomo shook her head before leaning over and kissing her brother on the forehead.

"Good night, Espio, my sweet little brother," she murmured, walking out.

---

**Hearts healed and others shocked. The past and present may intertwine. Can Charmy go along with Gemini's plan? What will happen to their future? Why is Tomo being...nice? Find out next time on Rogue's Bee!**

**Oh, and go read Babylon Sky Hawk's ****Jet and the Black Knight****. It's AWESOMESAUCE. **


	14. Time Warp pt 3

Characters (C) Respective Owners

---

Ch. 13: Time Warp pt. 3

Gemini's face was completely emotionless, leaving no trace of remorse or empathy. Those two little words struck my core, leaving my chilled. The words chided at my backside, stabbing into my spine mercilessly. Staring down at my knife, more chills rushed through to my heart that left me completly cold. Damien even looked up from his childish drawings on Carnage and Armand's faces, looking pertrubed at the thought. Whip covered his mouth with his finger, seeming interestedly sickened.

"Well, you'll do it or what?" Gemini demanded, his eyelids lowered in annoyance.

"Do we...do we really have to?" I questioned nervously. "I mean, he _seems_ nice."

"He killed you and tried to kill you again and again!" Whip reasoned, utterly surprised that I was defending him. "You'd protect someone like that?!"

"Not really, but..." I hesitated in answering, knowing they've won. "Fine, I'll do it when he wakes up since it'll just feel too wrong to kill him while he sleeps."

"Done, so long as you get the job!" Damien jeered, giving me a thumbs-up. He pointed back a pack of bushes that guided themselves along the path that lead towards the castle. "We'll stay hidden over there so you can get the job completed. Alright?"

I nodded. Gemini split into two halves, each dragging the unconsious forms of Armand and Carnage. I couldn't get a glimpse at their faces, but some doodle marks in black were clearly there. Stifling a chuckle, I waited until they were all hidden in their shrubbery before racing Rodrigo.

He seemed so defenseless for a mass-murderer. Whenever anyone sleeps, they're so frail and rather pitiful like if you want to attack them right there during their slumer in return you'd recieve a horrible pit lodged in your stomach. That pit seemed to eat away at my stomach, and I just stared at the my knife. My frown seemed out of place amongst the cheerfully colored flowers, embedding streams of hate throughout the peaceful plants. Sighing, I glanced down at Rodrigo and hovered above him before sitting on his chest. An idea quickly struck me, instantly destroying my frown. Snatching his shoulder, I leaned towards his ear and heaved a breathe.

"Oh, my gosh! Is that Vannoza skinny dipping with nothing, but a bra and undies on?!" I shrieked.

"Where?! Where?!" the crow screamed. Rodrigo's head bolted up, and in seconds, he was on his feet. Tripping himself by the sudden motion, he facefaulted and remained there for a bit. "...You little liar."

"Hey, I had to wake you up somehow!" I sneered.

Rodrigo cocked an eyeridge. "But why?"

"Um...the one-eyed hobo with a hook was coming! He came in streaking with nothing covering him!" I bet half of you are thinking: Charmy Bee, you are a complete moron. Admit it! Well, that's probably true.

Rodrigo stared at me with wide eyes like I was crazy, which I probably am by now. He glanced over his shoulder, stating that he heard noises from the bush and noticed that it was shaking. Quickly to avert his attention, I jabbed a finger at the sky, shouting that Vannoza was now fully naked and sky diving. Rodrigo instantly darted his eyes at the sky like a child seeing a brand new toy, but he frowned sullenly once he realized I was fibbing.

"You lie alot, you know that?" he grunted.

_If only you knew about your future,_ I mentally snapped, ignoring the vien throbbing in the back of my neck.

The knife simply dangled in my hand, and I hesitated on killing him right there. This was, after all, the kunai Espio gave me in the Purgatory. Espio modified it so that one stab could automatically kill, but I hardly used it at all. The eighteen-year-old crow grinned over at me, patting a spot down next to him. Once again, I hesitated and glanced over to find Gemini and the others almost expecting me to obey.

"So, Charmy," Rodrigo started. "I know you're from another world, but where is it?"

"Earth," I meekly replied, fumbling as I sat. "I'm from Earth."

"What's like? Peaceful? Polluted?" Rodrigo leaned towards me, a resilently eager grin on his beak. "Or is it like ours, constantly tainted by war?"

"Actually, it's one of of everything." When Rodrigo blinked at me with confusion, I added, "Our world is sorta peaceful, and I won't say that there is no pollution, but, yeah, there are alot of wars."

"Sounds disgusting!" I glared up at Rodrigo, and he simply frowned at me. "I always wondered what made people tick. By it political conservations or simple disputes over land. Sometimes, I find people...annoying."

"But you seem pretty happy when you're with, Van, right?"

Rodrigo's face suddenly beamed into a fervant blush, and he quickly looked away. He mumbled some incoherent response, still flushed. I fluttered to my feet, glancing over my shoulder as I gripped the kunai in my jacket pocket. Damien was making some sort of stabbing motion on top of Whip's head, but was quickly silenced by Gemini's fist. Openly, he whined until Whip pushed his face into the dirt literally. Rodrigo glanced behind me, and everyone quickly dispersed into the bush.

"Is...someone there?" he asked.

"Uh, no one! Just you and me, my friend!" I cursed myself for calling him a friend. "Hey, look forward for a moment."

Rodrigo paused before shrugging. I slowly gripped the knife out of my pocket and raised it over his head. One strike, one strike, and everything would change. I wouldn't know the Babylon Rogues, but the Chaotix would still be alive, right? This was for the better, even though I would ache and remembered everything. At least those who came with me would recall the incident. Sucking in an inaudible breathe, I was about to strike.

Plunging my hand down, I quickly slapped him over the head, shouting, "Tag! You're it!"

"You're an idiot!" Gemini shrieked from the bush, flipping me the bird.

Somehow, and I honestly haven't a clue why, but Rodrigo must've been deaf since he hadn't heard the hedgehog's shrilly cry. Apparantly, he had heard of the game Tag and darted after me through the flowers. He was cursing at me while I simply laughed, and Rodrigo started to throw handfuls of flowers with clumps of dirt attatched to the soiled roots. One nicked my attenae, making me dive into the forest in fear for my life.

Oddly enough, I felt...relaxed. Sure, my life was always in danger before with missions of thievary, detective business in murder cases, and sometimes just annoying some of my friends to the extent that they'll slit my throat in my sleep. Hey, Rector, I'm talking to you. Even though Rodrigo was a future mad scientist/war starter/evil-doer, he seemed strangely nice to be around. I nearly pitied him for a few moments when the string of curses kept streaming out.

Rodrigo's hand viciously grabbed my attenae with a thunder strike speed, nearly smacking me into a tree. Trembling in his grasp, I flinched at his blood curdling glare, making me wince. Tapping his foot, I knew he was expecting an apology so I gave him one...but that didn't mean I wasn't going to "play" some more. Clapping Rodrigo's face with my hands, I wiggled my tongue and him before dashing off. Rodrigo stood there, dumbfounded for a few seconds, before bolting after me.

"Chaaaarmy! You cheating bug!" Rodrigo screeched.

Rounding behind the bush, I suddenly felt all of the air trying to escape my lungs. Gemini had his hands coiled around my neck like a snake. Gagging, I groaned as he shook my frail body around. Gemini dropped me to the ground once my face began to turn amethyst, and I gasped for breathe, sucking in as much as I could like a vacuum.

"I tell you to do one thing," Gemini hissed, leering down at me with rage glazing over his eyes, "and you screw it up by playing Tag!"

"I-I was...panicking!" I whined through pants. "Whaddya...want me...t-to do?"

"Uh, kill him! Duh!" Damien retorted, sticking his tongue out for added effect.

"But I just can't kill him," I moaned in grief, glancing away towards the ground.

"Yeah, you sort of could, Charmy," Whip grunted, crossing his arms.

"Where are you, fuzzball?!"

The four of us peered out from the woodwork, wincing at Rodrigo. He was slapping his hands through the flowers, knowing of my shrinking ability. The crow leaped to his feet, furiously searching for any sign of me. I giggled into my palm, attempting to stifle my laughter when Rodrigo suddenly tripped in one of the holes he created by destroying the flowerbeds.

"Should I go see him?" I questioned aloud, glancing up to the others.

"Yeah, and this time, please don't chicken out," Damien sniggered, pushing me away from the prickly bush.

Grumbling to myself, I swifly soared by with the wind pumping against my back. An ominously frigid wind hissed by me, making me shiver in protest, and I pondered over the sudden fear that etched onto my wings. The thoughts subsided once I clunked my head against Rodrigo's chest. Glancing up fearfully, I nervously chuckled as Rodrigo's narrowed eyes bore holes through my frightened amber ones.

"You're it, runt," Rodrigo quipped, slapping me other the head.

Instictively, I reached down from my kunai, but a nearly silent rustle from the forest roused our attention. I noticed that Gemini was exchanging confused looks with Damien and Whip, so they couldn't have made the noise. Rodrigo snorted like he was pleased at something and turned towards a bed of flowers. Peering out from behind him, my eyes went wide in complete horror.

There was a crow with deep grey feathers that flopped over his wrinkled, tired face. Several layers of headfeathers flopped nonchalantly over his face and back, ruffled and messy like he was a bum. Donning a simple army vest with cuts in various places, the old crow's cerulean eyes seemed worn out and bloodshot like he was on the verge of death. Behind him was an army of avians with swords, shields, spears, and what appeared to be advanced and larger versions of handguns.

"Father, where's Vannoza?" Rodrigo asked, bowing his head lightly.

"Right here," the older crow replied as Vannoza stepped forward.

"Father?! Wait a second!" I cried. "Stolen was right! You are conversing with the rebels since King Crooked said this guy was your dad!"

Rodrigo glanced down at me with a snideful sneer and patted my head. "Well, sometimes, a little white lie helps in the long rung," he stated deviously.

"You lied to the entire kingdom!" I shrieked.

"Who is this, son?" the older crow demanded in a gravelly tone.

"Meet Charmy Bee, a humanoid insect from another world. This is my father, Rovere, the leader of the rebellion that will utterly crush the Babylonian empire!" Rodrigo exclaimed, thrusting his fist into the air. The rebellious avians all jeered with him, shouting for the good king's death.

My heart absolutely sank into the pit of my stomach. For a while, I actually believed that Rodrigo had changed from his present demonic self, but no. People are born with evil in their hearts, and sometimes the destruction can only grow and grow until the heart is nothing, but a swirling black vortex of death. Eyes dialating, I found myself subconsiously fluttering backwards, adrenaline pulsing in my viens at sonic speed. My fingers trembled as I swallowed the lump that prevented me from responding. Looking over my shoulder to Gemini, I mouthed a two words:

_Help me._

Getting the plea first, Damien dashed out, skidding up dirt. Vannoza shielded her eyes, coughing at the dust that was kicked up. Gemini and Whip darted out, standing beside Damien. Somehow, Armand and Carnage were _still_ unconsious. They're so useless sometimes. Watch me get killed for that remark later.

Rovere glared over at his son, looking ready to murder him. "What in the gods' name is this!?"

"I...I don't know!" Rodrigo cried. "Charmy, who are they?"

"Name is Damien Angels!" Damien introduced with a gleaming smile. So bright, in fact, that it nearly blinded me. "Those are my sidekicks, Gemini and Whip!"

"We are not sidekicks!" Whip groaned.

"Anyway, I have no idea what's going on!" Damien cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

Nearly everyone had comical beads of sweat dripping down the backs of their heads. I slapped myself in the face, wondering why he was brought along in the first place. I quickly explained what happened so far before they came. Vannoza and Rodrigo exchanged blissful glances that made me want to vomit. Rovere chuckled the moment I mentioned the rebellion.

"Ya know, this King Crooked sounds like a cool guy, even though he's name is contradicting," Damien growled, frowning.

"The king is corrupted!" Rodrigo argued. "He only helps the rich and lets the poor wallow in their own filth! However, once he's gone, I shall be crowned King of Babylon and rule with my own sense of justice! Our technology shall blossom like the Charmy flowers, and we shall be the predominant race of all worlds!"

"I knew it."

The cold voice sent more chills down my spine. Whirling around, I was met with the cobalt hawk known as Prince Stolen. He was beside King Crooked, and this time he had a crown on his head much like his father's, except his wasn't made of gold, but light blue crystal with different colored gems on the sides. The Babylonian king had brown fans while his son donned a new pair of jade ones. Stolen's deep chocolate eyes narrowed onto Rodrigo's dark amethyst orbs. King Stolen appeared mortified, covering his beak with his hand.

"Rodrigo, Vannoza, you traitors!" Stolen screamed; blunt, raw emotion dripping off his tongue in agony like tainted honey. "I trusted you both, and look at what befell us! Oh, I am fortune's fool to have believed you for a mere moment." Wiping out his fans, he aimed at Rodrigo. "Care to dance? Put up your scythe, Rodrigo, and face me like a man!"

"To dance with you, Stolen, you fallen fool?" Rodrigo laughed into his hand, holding his head high. "It is to laugh! To think your idiot of a father trusted me for all those years!"

"Shut up, Rodrigo! I've had enough of you!" I roared, slashing my kunai at his chest. "This is for all of the lives you hurt!"

He gasped, dodging backwards instictively, but a faint line of scarlet scarred his ebony feathers. Staring down at the wound, his eyes widened in dispatched terror. Vannoza went to her friend, trying to help, but he ordered her to fall back for her own protection. The swallow hesitated before nodding and fleeing from the scene.

"Crooked, I used to be your royal advisor," Rovere stated placidly. "I was disdainful towards you during our work together in the Babylon Rogues. Fortune's fools, both of you are! I saw what has become of the kingdom, a mockery that you will not accept my son's genius!"

"Is that the real reason?" Gemini demanded. "Just because your precious brat's ideas were never accepted, you go nuts and try to conquer this kingdom?"

"I just can't stand your ruling," Rovere added, ignoring Gemini like he was invisable. "The poor are left unattended, and the rich only get richer. It's disgusting!"

"I'm trying my best!" King Crooked defended futily. "This war has cost me much more than anything the previous wars of my fathers' were!"

"I've had enough of your talk, Rodrigo!" Slashing my kunai again at him, I was suddenly blocked by a giant scythe. My eyes widened, recognizing that this was the scythe Rodrigo used to kill Tomo. "That...scythe. You murderer! You took them away from me!"

"Stop calling me that! I have no idea who you are shrieking about!" Rodrigo shrieked.

"Babylonian Revokers, attack!" Rovere commanded the group of rebellious rogues. "Kill King Crooked and those other fiends!"

"Man, what have I gotten myself into?" Damien moaned as the avians charged.

"Silence yourself and fight," Stolen quipped.

All around us, the past clashed with the future. King Crooked slashed his fans wildly at Rovere, actually cutting off half of his headfeathers. Rovere snarled, pulling out his own scythe that was no bigger than me. They clashed, both connecting with each other like master duelists, each trying to overcome the other. King Crooked swung low, , tripping Rovere and stabbing the bottom of his fan into the crow's chest. Rovere grunted, slashing at him for his neck, but Crooked was surprisingly quick for an old king. Grabbing the blade, he groaned as blood trickled down his bleeding palm, and his arm twitched, snapping the blade in half. Rovere gasped, staring up at his fate, but was surprised when Crooked simply shook his head. Thinking he was okay, he was immediately wrong when Crooked slammed the side of his fan into his neck and effectively knocked him out.

"We used to be such great comrades. I wonder what destroyed the little sanity you had left?" King Crooked mourned his former companion before shaking his head. "All for Babylon, just like my forefathers told me. The gods will react unpleasantly towards this deed. I can feel it in my feathers."

With Gemini, he split back into his two halves and began to fend off several Babylonian rebellers. Gemini No. 1 conjured a black aura onto his fist, slamming it into a sparrow who crashed backwards into several others. The other Gemini gave a roundhouse kick at one of the Babylonians head, but one of the avians smashed the side of his shield at Gemini No. 2's head, and he collided with his counterpart. Both toppled towards the ground, and the group of rebelling birds sneered, tasting the tangible taste of victor nearing on their tongues. However, both Geminis simply sneered up at the birds. The twin halves slapped their hand against each other's, and a dark pulse appeared in it as they slowly parted. The ball grew and grew, until it was about five feet in diameter.

"Black Distortion!" they cried, releasing the ball.

Suddenly, the massive ball of dark energy exploded, taking out several dozens of rebellious Babylonians. A grey mist hued over the area as the blast died down, and both Geminis sighed. Gemini No. 2 giggled like a little girl, poking a dead avian on the forehead until the first Gemini slapped him over the head.

"Sometimes I question my own sanity," Gemini muttered as the two halves swapped together into the real one.

Over with Whip, he was having some problems. Unlike the others, he had no special abilities. His ears couldn't lift him up to fly (He calls people racist when they say he can.), nor could he use any magical powers. However, what Whip did obtain was a valiant fighting spirit. Surronding him were about a dozen avians, half holding swords and shields and the other six with larger handguns. The pale orange rabbit elbowed a robin in the face, making him drop his sword. Whip paused, taking the sword into interest until a bald eagle shot at his feet with a type of laser gun that spouted bright green zaps. Yelping, he leaped up like an acrobatic monkey and grinned deviously. In his hand was the sword, and Whip slashed the sharp weapon across a few avian's hands. At first, it seemed like the move did nothing, but all the birds surronding him suddenly had their weapons cut in half. They whimpered before glancing back over at him and the sword that glimmered like an emerald fragment in the sun. All of a sudden, the birds bolted.

"Heh, that was pretty weak," Whip snickered. He glanced back at the sword in hand. It had a red hilt with a gold base connecting to a shimmering silver blade, sharp to the touch. "I think I might just keep this as my prize. I call you the Revoking Scabbard as a memory for this battle."

Towards Damien, he seemed like he was having the time of his life. The hound happily swatted away at the avians that dared strike at him. He found it rather humorous that they were in a circle, preparing to attack him. Damien kicked away at a shield that suddenly conked him on the head in a feeble attempt to knock him out. A bluejay thrusted her sword at his face, nicking his cheek, but found herself thrown into two others. Damien snickered behind his hand.

"Man, I thought that the Babylonians were a superior race," he jeered, poking an albatross' beak playfully. "Rumors are usually wrong."

Viens popped up the remaining Babylonians' foreheads, and they recklessly charged. Damien sneered before bending his knees and jumping into the air. All the avians crashed into each other, blades and guns flying all over the place. Effectively enough, the birds were groaning and rubbing their injured body parts. Damien did a few backflips as he landed, brushing off some dirt from his shorts.

"Next time, try not to use a circle. It's simple military tactics that circle formations usually fail," Damien chortled.

Stolen and I decided to take on Rodrigo. The crow levitated into the air, his green Ark glowing brightly. Quick to remember what happened in the castle, Stolen gripped his new emerald fans and swung them at the ground. A miniature tornado swept Rodrigo up, catching him off guard and plowed him into a tree. The future deviator gripped his scythe tightly, dashing at us. He swung for Stolen's neck, but I blocked it with my kunai, and both gasped in surprise. Snarling, Rodrigo kicked me straight in the face, forcing me to fly backwards. Thankfully, my wings went slack in the hit, allowing me to soften my blow against the flowers. Weakly getting up, I winced as Stolen and Rodrigo began wildly exchanging blows at each other.

That's when I noticed something strange about Stolen: He acted almost exactly like Jet except for the losing to Rodrigo part the first time. The same arrogance, identical smirk, and, ironically, heritage. For Rodrigo, however, he was a mere copy of his future self, and I knew that this was where it all started. Maybe this was the cause of Rodrigo's craziness because we went back in time, ruining his dream!

"You won't defeat me!" Rodrigo shrieked, stabbing Stolen in the side with the end of the scythe. Levitating off the ground, Rodrigo's Ark glew darkly as a familar cry cut through the air. "Gravity Dive!"

A black hole appeared in front of him, and it felt like time slowed to a stop as the scene played out before me. Stolen wiped his fans in front of him like a shield, but another black hole came out from behind, and Rodrigo slashed his scythe along Stolen's back. The hawk cried out in pain, falling to his knees. Blood stained his azure feathers, tormenting the now Christmas colored grass.

Blood? It was his blood! I froze, remembering all of those sick deaths that my "friends" tortured me through in Cesare's aura of nightmares. Clutching onto my attenae, I whimpered and rocked myself back and forth like a scared child. It was rather ironic since I was in a way: a frightene little boy all alone in the past with war and blood spewing their hate all around.

Reality came back at me hard like a stone thrown at my nose, breaking it into hundreds of shards. Stolen was on his stomach, face coiled in reserved pain, and he refused to give Rodrigo the satisfaction of his screams. The hellish crow burst into raunchy laughter, and I knew where Wave got her sense of chuckles from. Placing his curved scythe by the hawk's neck, he snickered wickedly.

"Any last words, Stolen?" he hissed coyfully, snatching a fistfull of Rodrigo's headfeathers.

My next actions were like a blur. I caught a glance of a yellow swallow hiding behind the tree was impaled next to and snatched her hand with my dazed vision. She cried out, attracting Rodrigo and Stolen's attention. My kunai dangled by Vannoza's neck, and my hemophobia subsided for pure lustful, crimson rage.

"Vannoza!" Rodrigo cried, releasing Stolen's headfeathers. "Let her go, bee!"

"Ooooh, so scary!" I mocked in a playful voice, my eyelids lowering halfway. "Maybe I should just give her a little slit for all the pain you caused me."

"What the devil are you babbling about?! Please, just release her!" Rodrigo begged as Stolen straggled to his feet.

"Not bad, kid," Stolen grunted with a smirk, hunched over because of his wound, "but let Van go. You've done a pretty good job for a kid."

"...A plague on both your houses, Rodrigo, Vannoza," I murmured in a dreamy tone. "A plague!"

Throwing Vannoza forward, I grasped my head in agony. I groaned, feeling like my head would split in half. Stolen hobbled over to me, grasping my hand and forcing me to sit. Placing a hand over my bangs, he gasped. It was like a fire spread across my forehead, burning each pore to a blackened death. My eyes glazed, but I managed to glance over to my comrades. Gemini, Whip and Damien were suffering the same fate, each with hands covering their foreheads in agony.

King Crooked hurried over to us, and a few palace guards donning gold armor charged forward. A few of the guards assisted the others, already tending to Carnage and Armand. Oh, by the way, their faces had little swirly marks with hearts and silly faces with tongues sticking out. Courtesy of Damien was written on their foreheads. Priceless if I didn't feel like I was going to pass out. Anyway, King Crooked placed his son's arm over his shoulder and carried me in the other.

"I'll get you!" Rodrigo screamed in vain as guards handcuffed him with Vannoza. "I'll come and find you, Charmy! I'll come and kill you and those precious to me!"

_Precious to me? He can't mean..._ My though was cut short, and I found the courage and strength to speak. "Don't even think about harming the Chaotix!"

"Chaotix, huh? I'll remember it! I swear, I'll make your life a miserable, living nightmare, Charmy Bee!" Rodrigo swore as the guards shoved him towards the castle.

He swore, and all of which he said came true. The reason Vector and Espio were murdered was because I spilled our detective agency's name since it was so unusual. I caused his vengeance against me for just coming back in time. By going back in time to try and save my future, I was reason for my own suffering.

...Ah, what the heck! I'll just blame Carnage and Whip since it was their "brillant" idea to time travel in the first place! Damn you both!

"Sire, over there!" a falcon guard said, pointing across the flower field. "A vortex!"

The same light blue vortex that carried us appeared, and Raine popped out. She hurried over towards me, placing her hand over my forehead. She gasped, calling out to some others. Eyes still delirious, I found Vector rushing over to me, taking me from King Crooked's grasp. Vector explained who he was, and the hawk king simply allowed him to take me. Forcing my eyes to work, I groaned, and Vector rocked me like a baby. My eyes felt rather heavy, and I found myself nodding off, but I managed to see Alice tending to Gemini, and the Virtex gang get the others before shutting out life in slumber land.

---

**The truth has been revealed, and Charmy is in for a heaping of trouble! Can Charmy finally defeat Rodrigo? What happened after Rodrigo and Vannoza were arrested? Will Rector let Charmy off the hook? Find out next time in Rogue's Bee! Review, plz.**


	15. Forgiving Tears

Characters (C) Respective Owners

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Ch. 14: Forgiving Tears

Light dawned from a curtain in my room on the Babylon Rogues' airship. Groaning, I placed a hand to my forehead, and yesterday's events came rushing back into my skull. Tearing up, I bit my lip to attempt to reverse my crying, but it was too painful to know that I had caused my own destructon. Gripping the sheets of my bed, I whimpered silently as tears started to run down my face in salty streams.

It could be said that this was all my fault. I foolishly blurted out who the Chaotix were, and since our detective agency name was rather peculiar, it'd make an easy target for murder. Rodrigo lured us out to South Island, believing we were far away from any help even though Sonic, Cream and the others were vacationing there. They didn't comprehend what was happening, so they're forgiven. South Island was pretty tiny, just slightly bigger than Casinopolis, and it was in the middle of an ocean. How could anyone, like G.U.N, help? There was no military assistance, just Rodrigo and his manical tricks that ended up killing our employer Sterling, Vector and Espio.

_Everything...everything was my fault, _I thought, placing a hand to my face as I cried. _Everything!_

Repeatedly hitting my fist into bed, I grumbled and yanked the covers over my face. Knocking suddenly filtered the room, swiftly halting my unsobered sobbing. A younger voice called from outside, but was muffled by a series of other voices jabbering away. Ignoring them, I pretended I was asleep as the door clicked open. Glancing out the blanket with one eye half-opened, I made out blurred colors of people consisting of grey, purple and white, and light green with a yellow undertone.

"Is he sleeping?" Vector asked, pulling up a chair next to me.

"Appears so," Wave whispered, brushing her hand against my cheek. Pausing, the swallow rubbed her fingers against my muzzle, feeling the wet parallel streaks of tears. "He's been crying in his sleep."

"It's sad," Storm mumbled.

"What is?" Vector questioned.

"You know, this entire fight," Storm stated, sighing soon after. "I mean, Raine told us he went back in time, and he blurted out you and Espio to Rodrigo. That's why you two died because he teamed up with the noble Stolen, the greatest of Babylonian princes and kigns and got him exiled."

"So, this is all his fault?!" Wave snapped, making me cringe.

"Hold on," Vector ordered, leaping up from his chair, snarling at Wave. "He didn't know any better!"

"He's been killed by Rodrigo before, and he would be pleased to do it again!" she retorted. "Rodrigo's been after this brat for the longest time, and I can understand why Rector hates him!"

"Rector doesn't hate him, just...dislikes at time," Storm defended though his words went unchecked as Vector and Wave got into a heated argument.

Curling myself up into a ball, their voices just got louder and louder. I thought my attenae were going to burst as I trembled. Storm placed a hand on me as they bickered like a circle, never ending and repetitive. Sucking in a breathe, I bit my lip to avoid showing signs of me starting to cry silently. However, Storm leaned close to me, a shy smile visable as I peered up at him with watery orbs.

"I'm sorry, Storm," I whimpered. "This is all my fault. Everything is."

"Whoa, back up," Storm hushed me, placing a finger over my mouth. "Was it your fault that Jet got posessed by Rodrigo?"

"Technically, no..." I murmured, blinking.

"And was it your fault that Cannon died?"

"Actually, not really cuz Jet caused that."

Storm sniggered, rubbing my head. "So, stop crying and worrying about things you can't control, kid!"

Nodding eagerly, I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into his warm, soft chest feathers. Thanking him quietly, I thought back, knowing that even though I made so many mistakes, I gained more than I lost. Sure, the Chaotix died, but they came back, and so did Sonic when Cannon killed him while he was taking a bathroom break! Actually, getting slaughtered while your peeing is like what happened to Elvis, but he had a heart attack. If that's not ironic, I don't know what is!

In my mind, Storm was my savior. He saved me from dying when I had given up all hope when I was six after Rodrigo killed the Chaotix. He was like my own personal angel...just with a lower intellect and could probably snap my spine in half if angered. Rubbing my head, Storm placed me back on my bed gently.

"Eh? He woke up?" Wave demanded, her head swerving at me.

"Um, hi?" I uncertainly greeted, fearfully waving before diving behind Storm's back.

"Sure, go back in time, and screw everything up for us! Thanks, Charmy!" Wave screamed.

"You don't know what I've been through there!" I yelled, fluttering back up. Cringing, I flipped back down onto my bed, still glaring at the violet swallow. "You know nothing of what I've just been through there, Wave. There is no right in the world that you can blame everything on me right now. If I hadn't intervened then Rodrigo would've taken over Babylon. In some sort of twisted way, I saved your world with Stolen's help."

She went silent, pausing for a moment with a brief flicker of realization. Knowing her pride, she wouldn't allow me to get off the hook just yet. Tapping her foot, she sighed and nodded reluctantly. "I suppose so, but..."

And here we go.

Wave stomped up to me, snatched my bangs and forced me to my feet. "You could've died! Can you be any less irresponsible? In some manners, you are so much like Jet that way! I, for one, am-"

Blah, blah, blah, blah. I thought about sleeping again throughout her entire rant, but her words continued to rage back and forth, in and out. Santa, can Wave recieve a muzzle for Christmas? That would be appreciated by several people, but mostly Storm and I.

Once Wave was done fuming at me, she suddenly embraced me. I froze, feeling rather awkward by her chest. If Jet were nearby, I'd get clobbered no matter what. Shyly hugging her back, I winced when she slapped me over my head playfully.

"Don't even scare us like that again. You were out cold for three days," Wave stated miserably, setting me on my bed.

"Three days?" I repeated in shock. "What about the others?"

"Gemini, Whip and Damien are fine," Vector quickly replied to ease me. "Well, when Armand and Carnage found out Damien drew on their faces...well, let's just say Damien's on life support. Espio reported to us while still at Team Virtex' home what occured, and the Virtex gang and I bolted down there as fast as we could possibly."

"The headache you recieved there was called Past Time Syndrome or PTS for short," Wave informed. "It happens when you stay in the past for too long, and this disease is common when on a different world."

I nodded, looking around to find that our favorite emerald hawk was missing. "Hey, what happened while I was out anywhere? Where's Jet?"

All three cringed, bowing their heads at the ground like they had just accidentally killed someone. Cocking my head, they guided me out of the room and led down towards Jet's office. In the door right back his table stood a fully recovered Espio. Bandages were drapped around his torso and shoulders, shielding all sorts of wounds he recieved with the fight against Sirin. Coming in behind us was Sonic and Mighty. Behind them were Tails and Cream, and my darkened mood instantly brightened. They had been kidnapped by Rodrigo when I had last heard of them, but I just thankful they were okay.

"Hello, little one," Mighty greeted, patting my bangs down. "You had us so worried that I began to believe you were going to stay in that coma forever."

"Mighty's right," Sonic added, sneering. "While you were out cold, Espio was released from Raine and immediately proposed a plan to rescue Tails and Cream. Of course, Mighty and I tagged along just to make sure things would go smoothly."

"I had everything under control," Espio insisted, "if a certain _armadillo_ didn't decided to wake the entire Slifer army by sneezing."

"Oh, shut your mouth, Espio," Mighty grumbled.

"I'm just glad Mister Sonic saved us!" Cream chimed, hugging Tails' arm. "Right Tails?"

"Yeah, but I could've gotten us out of the there," Tails mumbled, pulling his mechanic's jacket tighter across his chest in embarrasment. "I almost had us out of our cages with my screwdriver."

"Can we halt this meaningless conversation for a few moments and see Jet now?" Wave snapped. "Storm, open the door."

Storm nodded, pushing open the door in Jet's office. The room was nearly pitch black except for his Babylon Control Box, the key to the spaceship/home of their race: Babylon Garden. It gently illuminated the room with an icy light blue, making me wonder why I was feeling such a cold front. Gulping, Storm flicked the light switch up, and I was met with a horrible sight.

Jet was strapped down onto his bed with numerous wires sticking into his body. A tube was sticking into his beak, providing oxygen like he couldn't breathe on his own. Several machines showing his heart and pulse rate slowly beeped, and I feared they were soon to die out. Jet's chest beat up and down like slowly beating on a bass drum. His eyes were closed, and his entire body was limp, yet peaceful like he had just died.

"Jet!" I cried, zooming over to him. I felt his ungloved hand before swiping it away. "He's...he's so cold!"

"Jet's been unconsious for nearly four days now," Wave explained, pulling up a chair and sitting by him. "He didn't mean to hurt us, he was just trying to save me." Tears began to prop in her stained cobalt eyes as she buried her face onto Jet's glossy chest feathers. "I'm so sorry, Jet, my love. I-I didn't mean to slap her and shove you away! You were-you were only trying to save me from that monster!"

Storm patted her back, hugging her gently. "Boss'll wake up soon, Wave," he gently comforted. "Very soon, and we'll be happy again."

Sonic stepped foward, placing his hand on Jet's forehead. "It was wrong of me to punch him, but I was just so angry that he was being such a selfish punk at his own wedding. Just look at him, it's like this is him trying to make amends to all of us by nearly scaring us to death," Sonic joked feebly. "Jet won't die. He's too tough to die."

"Is Mister Jet going to be okay?" Cream asked, peering over to Jet's face.

_Hey, where's Cheese?_ I thought randomly. _Probably at home with Madam Vanilla. Wow, am I really this stupid?_

Wiping her eyes, Wave nodded at the cream colored rabbit. "Yes, my fiance` is known for his unmatched will. No matter what happens, he will awaken soon."

"She's right," Storm agreed for once. I know, they're agreeing something. "Boss is the toughest guy I know! Of course he'll wake up from his sleep soon enough!"

Out of the still air, Jet grunted. Wave and Storm both gasped, but all of us were instantly dissapointed when the hawk made no other sound. She lowered her hand into her eyes, silently weeping as the lukewarm tears drifted between her fingers. Storm did the same, but with one hand. He refused to cry in front of us, but I knew him better than most people. I wondered if they cried when they were alone after this tragedy.

Sonic removed his hand from Jet's forehead, clenching it tightly. "Next time, we'll finish Rodrigo for good, and nobody else will suffer! I faced him, and he's stronger than ever, but we still have a chance. Jet can pull through this, just believe it!"

"Nice speech, Sonic, but we all know we're going to get some old school revenge," Vector jeered, cracking his knuckles.

"We should get going," Tails suddenly said. "We'll leave you guys alone with your privacy in hand. Come on, Cream."

The rabbit nodded, giving me a hug before flying off with her large ears after Tails. Sonic followed after them, saluting Jet with his back turned. Mighty hesitated, pointedly glancing back at the Chaotix. Vector and Espio hurried him along with the crocodile commanding that he stay in the guest room for clients of the Babylon Rogues. Once Vector and Mighty were long out of sight, Espio faced me again, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Stay as long as you feel comfortable," Espio genuinely whispered. "You, too, had a strong connection and bond with Jet so it's only right that you stay with Storm and Wave."

Nodding slowly, I waited as Espio shut the door. Fluttering over to Jet, I stared down at his face which was completely blank. It was odd to witness him in such a sloppy state because he was usually bursting with energy before crashing to a lazy bum. However, this was entirely different. There was no arrogance, no pleasure, no emotion anywhere. Just a sorry excuse of natural born leader lying on death row from my point of view.

It was like a knife had cut into my viens when something suddenly flatlined. A monitor showed a green line with no bumps, just giving a monotonous high-pitched shriek that rang on. For a moment, we were all silent until we realized what was going: Jet wasn't breathing. Springing into action, Wave ripped out the tube from Jet's mouth and fumbled with another clear tube. Storm began pressing his hands frantically on his precious leader's chest, and I kept my fingers on his pulse, feeling no bumps whatsoever. Wave slammed some sort of plastic mask on the top of the tube, tapping it around Jet's beak. She swiftly pressed a series of buttons on the monitor before jabbing a giant green button. Suddenly, the monitor stopped the aggrivating screaming and resumed to gently beeps. The three of us sighed, slumping down into chairs while I sat on Storm's shoulder.

"What just happened?" I asked stupidly.

"Jet almost flatlined completely," Wave murmured softly. "If the shrieking had stopped, Raine told me that it would be too late to save him."

"B-but Boss is okay now, isn't he?" Storm questioned worriedly.

She nodded.

"Well, there's the best news I heard all day!" the albatross laughed, attempting to lighten the mood.

Nobody spoke for a long time, and only the moderate beeps of Jet's life support monitor ended the unwelcoming silence. Storm patted Jet's head, smiling softly as his best friend. Eyes closed, Storm murmured how Jet would wake up soon. Excusing himself, the grey seabird silently got up, making me fly off him since I still wanted to be with Jet. Just as Storm was about to leave, Jet groaned.

The three of us instantly turned to stare at him, hovering over him eagerly in false hope that he would wake. However, the jade avian began to groan and toss in his slumber. Sucking in a breathe, I reached out to touch him hand, and it was starting to warm up like a star was born inside of him that eased his frosty outer nature. The hawk twitched at my hand, fingers slowly curling.

His eyes weakly opened, and the teal orbs brightened everything. Jet rolled his neck, and we held our breathes, unsure of what to say. Jet's hand reached up into the air, stroking Wave's cheek sweetly. However, he still seemed like a blur as his hand flopped to the ground. A tiny smirk came to his beak, signalling arrogance to wash away his pain.

"Everyone, you're here," Jet cooed in a hushed whisper. "You all didn't vanish on me."

"Of course we won't dissapear," Wave cried, more unshed tears coming to her blemished face.

"I thought I was dead," Jet muttered miserably. "Can someone take this tube out of my mouth?"

Wave yanked the tube out, throwing it on the ground. "You're not dead, sweetie. You're in your room, safe at home."

"My room?" Jet reitairated, glancing about. He took notice to Storm and I, flinching at the sight of the albatross. He shifted uneasily, dropping his gaze to his boots. Attempting to sit up, Jet suddenly yelped and flopped back in his bed.

"Don't get up so quickly, Boss!" Storm warned. "Raine told us to tell you to stay in bed and try not to move only if you need to go the bathroom. Doctor's orders."

Jet morbidly nodded, mumbling swears to himself under his breathe. "Uh, Storm?"

"Y-yeah?"

"I...I remember slicing you and nearly having you fall off that temple in the Mystic Ruins on those ancient echidna temples," Jet stated, looking straight at Storm's chest. "You still have my talon strikes on you. I'm so sorry."

Storm hesitated, glancing down at his chest. I stared down too, rather confused since nobody told me they had a fight. There were five thin lines across Storm's chest feathers, and I noticed that they had been nearly healed up, making me realize the fight happened four days ago when Jet got knocked out. Gulping, I remember how Jet had been Rodrigo's pawn for a while, kidnapping Tails and Cream with him, but just what had happened?

"You were just under Rodrigo's control, Boss," Storm bluntly said, grasping Jet's hand tightly. "Of course, I'll forgive you!"

Jet grinned at him, thanking him. "Wave..."

"Don't say anything, Jet. You need rest," Wave urged, placing a finger to his beak. "You need-"

"I have to say this," Jet interpoded. "I only kissed Lucrezia because she tricked me because she said that she had the keys to your cell. It was because of my stupidity that nearly had me lose my best friends and you, my only love. Can you find any way to take me back?"

Wave smiled weakly, her body trembling as she literally glomped onto Jet. Yelping, Jet nervously giggled as Wave sobbed onto his chest. Streaking his fingers through her long, twin head feathers, he sighed blissfully. Well, that was until Wave smashed her fist straight onto the hawk's beak. Too surprised to yell in pain, the hawk flopped off the bed with the wires becoming detatched. Holding his beak, he groaned as Storm and I catiously went over to assist him.

"I only did that because you had me worried sick over your well being!" Wave exclaimed, wiping her eyes harshly.

"Wave, your mascara will run if you keep bawling over me," Jet teased, hugging her tightly. "I love you, Wave, and I always will. Nothing can ever tear us apart."

"Except Rodrigo!" I cheered before Storm clamped a hand over my mouth as Jet and Wave glared knives and daggers at me for interrupting their moment. "H-heh, sorry! Pay no attention to me!"

Jet broke the hug, patting my head. "And I'm sorry to you as well."

"Huh?"

"While I was influenced by Rodrigo, I almost killed you, so sorry," Jet explained, rubbing my bangs.

"Aaah, it's cool, Jet!" I shifted a little on my flight so that I was sitting on his head. "And, um, you're not gonna believe what you're about to hear, but, uh...I sorta went back in time and met eighteen-year-old Rodrigo. He was causing this rebel war and faked being loyal to the kingdom so Stolen and I kicked his butt and got him banished or something and he found out about the Chaotix and here I am!"

"...That was the longest run-on sentence I have ever heard," Wave quipped.

"Okay, that's somewhat good and somewhat bad," Jet grunted. "Well, at least we know why Rodrigo hates you and went only after you, but the bad part is that you went behind our backs."

"Sorry, I went at night with Armand, Whip and some others," I weakly grimaced, remembering how I screwed Vector and Espio by spilling our detective agency. Sighing, I closed my eyes and grinned. "The good part right now is that you're okay, Jet! Right, right?"

Seriously, I shouldn't have said that. Jet suddenly clutched his hand, crying out in pain. Falling to his knees, the hawk released weak cries of pain, attempting to hold most of it in. Storm kneeled down by his leader, grabbing his arm, and Jet froze. He panted shakily as Storm helped up stand like he had just run a marathon. Rubbing the back of his head, he groaned and cracked his neck. Ironically, it happened the second after I stated that Jet was better. Just perfect timing, am I right?

"Just what was that?" Wave asked concernedly.

"I-I d-don't have any c-clue of any sort of brain attack like that ever happen to you, Boss. A-are you okay?" Storm stammered, shaking.

"Yeah, it came and went like the wind or me," Jet sniggered. "I think I'll be fine if I just lay low for a bit, but once I'm back at full strength..." Jet smashed his fist into his palm, vowing, "Once I'm back at full strength, we'll find Rodrigo and end this! Permenantly! This time, he'll wish he stayed in Hell!"

"Right! Right!" I chanted, punching my fist in the air. "He'll pay for his evil crimes!"

"After I take a nap! Good night!" Jet proclaimed, making the three of us face fault.

---

**Forgiveness abound and hearts are put to restful ease. Can the Babylon Rogues strike back at Rodrigo? Why did Jet have that sudden pain? Can Charmy ever forgive himself for blurting out the Chaotix to Rodrigo in the past? Why hasn't there been an OC HOUR for a few weeks? Stay tuned for the next Rogue's Bee!**


	16. A Crow's Call

Characters (C) Respective Owners

---

Ch. 15: The Crow's Call

"Okay, I'm feeling better now!" Jet jeered as he slumped into his leather chair in his quarters. Everyone, including myself, had snarls that clearly wanted to rip his limbs off. "Ah, that nap was so relaxing."

Espio rolled his sunshine eyes. "Why couldn't he still be unconsious?" he grumbled.

Ignoring the detective's jab, Jet yawned, leaning back into his chair. "I don't know why, but I don't care! I feel great! Reborn!"

"Glad to know, Jet," Vector growled, "so, shut up already! Man, can you jabber on forever or what?!"

Shrugging, the hawk carelessly glanced towards his Extreme Gear. "Whatever, you two are lame. Anyone want to inform me of anything?"

"Nothing, really, except for Tails and Cream being saved by Sonic," I stated; Jet slammed his head on his desk the moment his cobalt rival was mentioned. "What's wrong?"

"Boss, Sonic knows what happened for you being controlled by Rodrigo," Storm explaines softly as Jet gazed up at him.

"Except Shadow, Knuckles, and Cream's Mom want to kill you," Wave bluntly snapped; Jet slapped himself on his forehead, cursing under his breath.

"Why Madam Vanilla? She's a beautiful, well-mannered thirty-year-old!" Vector interjected dazedly, never confessing his love for the older rabbit.

"Because Jet assisted in kidnapping her daughter," Espio countered pointedly. "If I were a parent I'd want to slice and dice whomever attacks my children."

"Well, I'm in a giant rut," Jet complained. "Oh, well. No use in simply wading in a stream of self-moping. What has Rodrigo been up to?"

"Yeah, what?" I added, being out cold for the last few days.

"Rodrigo is mobilizing," Wave grimly replied. "He's been sending out his heartless Slifers in packs to the world's greatest cities. His first target was, ironically, Megalo Station."

Megalo Station was the starting point of where most of Rodrigo's madness occured four years back. When the Arks of the Cosmos were scattered, the Red Ark of the Cosmos infused power into the MeteoTech robot leader, SCR-HD, with power to control gravity. At that, from knowledge recently deprived from Bean and Stream, Cannon had awakened Rodrigo from his enternal slumber and cast an evil, manipulating spell into that certain Ark and controlled all of the robots movement through direct commands in SCR-HD.

"Megalo Station," I recited slowly. "Are they still there? Maybe we can catch someone there."

"Actually, GUN drove them down with military prowess," Wave said knowledgably. "However, they are still fighting the Slifers in Soleanna, the Kingdom of Water as named from the world's leading powers."

"Well, why are we sitting around, twiddling our thumbs? Storm, set a course for the kingdom of Soleanna!" Jet commanded, lunging out of his seat and taking charge.

"Yes, sir!" Storm saluted his leader proudly before bolting out of the room, slamming the doors shut.

"Jet, are you sure about this?" Wave questioned, concern leaking from her voice like a broken faucet.

"You bet, Wave. Rodrigo deserves severe punishment for all the pain I caused you and Storm. I'm sorry." Jet glanced away, shame coming to his tense features. It wasn't easy for the hawk to ever apologize, usually leaving a cold, arrogant front when deep down, he was crying for attention that he never got.

"Jet, you know deep down I'd always forgive you, and-Why are you three horrible detectives snickering at us?!" the amethyst swallow screamed. "Get out! We're having a moment!"

"But I wanna see how birds make out!" Vector whined childishly as Espio, surprisingly, nodded.

"GO!" Jet roared as the three of us darted out. "Shut the door, Vector I know you're still there."

"Oh, come on!"

---

I had never been to Soleanna. From stories I heard from Tails and Knuckles, it had a beautiful white palace with water springs at every corner, and sparkling teal ocean that dabbled in the sun's marveling with ripples of white. The homes consisted of several apartments hacked onto each other in steadily built homes. Street vendors lived in little merchant stands almost everywhere, hoping for some good business. One time, Tails furiously recalled how he got jipped into buying a useless monkey wrench that snapped in half on the first twist of a bolt. The second I laughed at him two years ago, Cream smacked Cheese into the side of my helmetted head.

That was not fair, Cream! Throwing a Chao of all living or non-living people at my head when I wasn't looking! Not cool, girl!

However, all that was left in Soleanna was a giant warzone of smog, shouting, and shots of shrapnel and bullets. Citizens had been evacuated with GUN soldiers filling the void with weapons hoisted in their arms. Slifers bombarded from rooftops, heading towards the illuminious white place that seemed out of place for the destruction. Storm piloted the ship, nearly crashing it due to the oncoming Slifers.

A dark-skinned man with miscolored yes, one blue and the other green, came speeding towards us in an open-roofed four door jeep with GUN soldiers. "Are you with those monsters?" he demanded as we stepped out with the Babylon Rogues on their Extreme Gear. Aimed at us in his left hand was a pistol while the two soldiers that accompanied him held rifles.

"We're on your side, Commander. Remember us?" Espio asked, raising his hands to his chest. "You hired Vector, Charmy and I to do recon against Black Doom's forces four years past."

The Commander hesitated before nodding. Ordering his men to lower their arms, he glared over at the Babylon Rogues and I. "Memory serves me right most of the time, and I recall Charmy associating with those band of thieves. The flame marks on his wrists are all the proof I need to arrest the four of them for crimes against humanity. The robberies that paraded in have cost people around the globe to plummet all for their accursed tribe!"

I stuck my tongue out at the "accursed" Commander. "You're just mad because Wave beat you up last time you saw her!"

"And I'd be more than happy to crush you again with my wrench," Wave sneered, brandishing her Wrench O' Doom.

Flinching the human male rapidly shook his head and stroked a hand through his grey hair. "Um, I'd rather not go through that episode again. Anyway, are you here to assist our banter?" We nodded. "Excellent. We need all the help we can get."

"What about the Sonic Heroes?" Jet questioned.

"Sonic's home, South Island, is currantly under seige," one soldier reported.

"Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Agent Rouge are on the scene," the other soldier piped up. "The other heroes are in Westopolis, fighting those monsters."

"We'll drive off those demons!" the Commander exclaimed. "We need you to help Agents Shadow and Kumori **(A/N: How many people forgot about her in Charmy Rogues?) **in aiding Princess Elise, the ruling monarch of this kingdom. Will you accept?"

"Yes, sir!" I cheered eagerly, saluting him.

"Alright, Storm, Wave, we'll go with these guys and drive Rodrigo's freaks off!" Jet ordered. "Charmy, take the Chaotix and go help Shadow and Kumori!"

Wordlessly, the Chaotix and I bolted through the ruined streets. Surronding us were humans either fighting or fleeing in absolute terror. Espio performed handsigns at an incredible speed, spewing out a massive fireball. Vector reared back his head, launching bubble gum bullets. Me? I cheered them on, stabbing a few Slifers with my stinger. What? I was lazy, screw you.

Memories toiled in my head from that time where out "client" was Eggman, and he was jabbering about getting random keys at his airbourne fortress. Though, it was really stupid since Vector barralled the door down with his fists. I distinctivelly recall Espio growling: "Or ya know, we could've used these _keys _we wasted the last three hours looking for!" Vecot fired him soon afterwards, and I bet five bucks the metal door containing Eggman wasn't locked at all. Sorry, just rambling on about the past like an old fogey.

A large, ominious dark cloud loomed over the once pure sky that beat out pulses of red thunder. If I were Tails, I'd be flipping out. We glanced at the sky, and so did the Slifers. The soldiers took this as their recovery strike, and Vector screamed at us to get down and crawl.

It was an all out war. The Slifers, finally retaining semi-awareness, charged back. Their claws had traces of purple-red liquid dripping from the sharp tips, and Storm would've recognized that as Cantarella. Once slice, and a human was done from the black, dagger-sharp nails. On Vector's orders to run, we were meet with little resistance, but bullets zoomed all around us and encased us in a cube of reeking death.

Suddenly, Vector yelped, holding his shoulder. Falling to his knees, the light jade crocodile stared at his palm. Fresh blood dribbled from his large fingers and dripped scarlet poison down his scaly back. Freezing in my flight, I just hovered there, gaping. Memories of Cesare's Aura of Nightmares gripped at my mind, showing every demonic death over and over like a never-ending cycle of pain. Pupils dialated, Espio grasped Vector, showinbv him to the ground.

"Charmy, go! I'll remain with Vector! Charmy?" Espio shook me, forcing me out of my gaze. "Wake up! This is no time for you nap in a hellzone! Go help Shadow and Kumori with the Princess of Soleanna!"

Nodding slowly, I turned into my shrinking size to avoid the shrapnel and bullets. Explosions fired off, creating dust storms and glass breaking all around me from the forsaken merchant shops. I guessed that all of this carelessness for comrades and desolation was the typical personification of war percieved by everyone. Tanks surronded the smoky castle, and I glided by as cannons fired at the flying Slifers, shooting them to their graves. They were dead before they hit the unforgiving ground.

Turning back into my normal size, I flew up to the highest, broken window. Squeezing inside, I cringed al all the humans sprawled at the floor. Some were dead, but one maid groaned disdainfully in the darkness. Weakly opening her eyes, the elderly woman called out to me.

"Wh-where is Princess Elise?" she gasped as I kneeled by her. "A-are you here to protect her?"

"Yeah, do you have any clue of her where I could find her?" I asked quietly.

"Th-the floor above this one," the maid murmured still sucking in air. "H-her highness w-was being guarded by her royal protectors u-until those demons struck and killed them. The lady could be dead!"

"Awright, I'll go save your princess!" I vowed, flying away.

"Be careful, young one. I-I saw an ebony crow with another bird, an orange falcon attempting to stow themselves away on the roof. They could be the masterminds behind this."

Nodding, I flew straight out of the room and was greeted by some Slifers. Stabbing away at them with my kunai, I bolted towards the ruined stairs. Each step was either gone or ready to fall, and I believed any weight put on, it give way. Shuddering, I was thankful to be a bee and fluttered up the stairs.

"Chaos Spear!" Shadow shouted, tossing a beam of dark yellow chaos energy at a group of Slifers. "Kumori, is Princess Elise safe?"

The prototype female nodded, patting dust off her standard, colonel GUN uniform that matched Shadow's. "She's right here," she called from Princess Elise's dorm.

"Hi, Shadow!" I cried, waving at the hedgehog.

Shadow stared wide-eyed at me through the debris. "Charmy, you're awake? Ah, nevermind. Kumori, we have some resistance assistance."

Kumori strolled out with a tall human woman of about twenty or so years with soft auburn hair and sparkling sky blue eyes. Her royal white gown with a gold headband would've been beautiful if it hadn't been tattered and littered with tears and dust. A bruise was above her left eye, and a ripped feather hung in front of her forehead.

"Thank you for saving me, Shadow, Kumori," Princess Elise kindly said, bowing her head. "Who is the young one?"

"Hm? Charmy Bee? I haven't seen you in a while," Kumori sneered.

"Oh, nice to see you as well," I grunted. "I'm still angry and sore for those birthday beatings you gave me this year."

"What, you want more?" Cracking her knuckles, her wolfish teeth gleamed in the frail lightning.

"Tch, no, I don't want to die yet!" I snapped, glaring at her.

Shadow and Elise exchanged worried glances, though Shadow's was more perturbed and annoyed at our antics. Kumori's fault. Elise ushered us to stop quarreling, and we did. Kumori smirked at me before heading off. Feh, women and their strange ways and sneers that no guy can read. Noticing the Soleanna woman's belt, I was surprised to find a petite sheath with a golden hilt of a sword. Instead of asking where she received such a fine looking work of metal, I was interrupted by hails of whiplashing gunfire.

Shadow ordered us to head to the roof. However, he cut himself off by bringing out a scarlet Chaos Emerald. Gawking slightly, I nearly forgot what power the emerald held, containing the awesome ability and strength to rip through space and time. Shadow raised the Chaos Emerald over his head, commanded for us to grab him. Kumori murmured something not age appropriate about the objectives below Shadow's waist. Elise's face fumed at such a comment while Shadow scolded her. I just blinked.

Yeah, girls are weird.

Ignoring her profane gestures, the crimson streaked hedgehog grasped the shimmering, rube colored Chaos Emerald tightly. We clung onto him as he called out, "Chaos Control!"

In Chaos Control, I felt nothing at first. A brilliant red glow captured the four of us in a fiery mist. For a moment, a blast of cold hacked into my inner being, but nothing followed. My eyes felt so heavy, and trying to keep them open proved too troublesome. The lathargic episode was quick, and Elise gently roused me by rubbing my arm. Gasping, I hurriedly looked around, seeing the presaging grey clouds and bolts of regular lightning. Oddly enough, those thunder strikes were previously red.\

"Master Cesare, we are greeted by enemies," Tagio Della Volpe murmured, drawing his longsword from his scabbard. The Cannon-Body-Stealer-we dubbed him this a few days back-glared at us with fire burning from hell in his pupils.

Cesare said nothing, holding out both of his hands with his aura surronding them.

"You two are behind this?" Shadow wryly smirked. "I suppose Rodrigo couldn't even control his own flock."

"Why have you attacked Soleanna?" Elise demanded, clenching her fists. "My father's people did not deserve this tragedy!"

"For heaven's sake, stop bellowing," Tagio hissed, drawing his blade at her. "Lord Rodrigo gave us a mission to invoke terror upon the world. Sirin and Aliza were sent to Westopolis and South Island respectively to deal with the invasions. Let everyone know that this day is the Attack of the Slifers!"

"You're a swordsman?" Shadow questioned.

Tagio nodded.

"Your highness, would you like to enchange in battle against him?" Kumori suggested.

Elise gasped and bit the inside of her mouth, nodding.

"Great, you can die!" Tagio roared, charging.

Suddenly, Elise slashed her blade out and flung Tagio's sword straight out of his hands. I gazed upon her sword, but my confusion got the better of me. It wasn't a sword at all, but a cane with a curved edge like a cylinder with a golden end. The falcon growled, aiming a punch at her, but Kumori socked him straight in the face and send him flying backwards.

"What kind of blade is that?" Tagio demanded, getting to his feet

"This isn't a blade, but my father's cane," Elise whispered to herself. "It's my treasure in his memory."

_Elise...what a kind lady_, I thought, grinning up to her. _To keep that in her father's memory, I wonder what she's been through._

"Foolish woman! Those words shall be your last sentiment!" Tagio roared, dashing at us.

"You're not hurting her!" I cried, flying at him. I brought out my kunai and stabbed the enraged falcon in the shoulder. Shadow came up from behind and finished the job with a punch straight to his jaw. The burnt orange falcon flew backwards, nearly crashing into Cesare who hadn't moved from his spot ever since we arrived.

As Tagio cursed to himself on the ground, Cesare grasped his forehead, breathing heavily. His pants grew louder as he collapsed to his knees. The aura around his hands grew, encasing his body in darkness. The four of us watched in absolute shock and awe as Cesare cocooned himself in nightmares. Agony ripped through his vocal cords like an tonedeaf singer. All as soon silent as the aura dissapated, and Cesare fell to the floor like he was in a trance with his gold eyes glazed.

"Don't be alarmed. Master Cesare has simply exhausted all of his wonderous power," Tagio morbidly grunted, heaving the crow over his shoulder. "My master's father, Lord Rodrigo, issues a decree to you, Charmy, the Babylon Rogues, and anyone that opposes him: The Master Emerald's vision shall come true."

"Prediction! What are you blubbering on about, you fake falcon?" Kumori retorted angrily.

Tagio backflipped through the air, landing on an Extreme Gear prototype that turned out to be another magic carpet with Aliza and Sirin. The scarred sparrow seemed mortified on something as his pinched his elbow, twitching a little. The lavender dragongirl glanced over at him with hardly any concern. As she snapped at him to control his emotions, Sirin duly nodded, glaring at his unconsious ancestor.

"A pity that fate made my ancestor so weak in will," Sirin spat.

"You shall not talk about my Master Cesare with an uncouth statement!" Tagio snapped.

"Both of you, enough," Aliza growled. "We're leaving. Lady Lucrezia wants to see her brother."

"Don't let them escape! Please!" Elise pleaded as the carpet took off.

"No, let them go," Shadow replied, placing a hand in front of her. He grasped the longsword Tagio carelessly left behind, shoving it into a large sheath on his GUN utility belt. "We can do recon, and-"

"Princess Elise!"

Dashing up from behind was the GUN Commander and the Babylon Rogues. Storm was sharing his Extreme Gear with the Commander that jumped off and fumbled towards her. Fear sunk into my pores when Vector and Espio weren't present in the crowd. The Commander bowed respectfully, getting to one knee while the Babylonians did the same. After all, Elise was royalty, and even in the midst of destruction, blood and class meant everything.

"Oh, please, you don't have to bow," Elise moaned, blushing cordially, "but is everyone okay in this group?"

"So, you're Princess Elise. I'm Prince Jet the Hawk of Babylon," Jet greeted, extending his hand to her.

"The pleasure is mine, your highness," Elise grinned, shaking his hand gratefully. "Thank you all for participating in saving my kingdom. You are all in my gratitude, and I'm sure my citizens will all be your debt."

"We just saw that fake falcon Tagio and his crew fly on outta here!" Storm reported, grinding his teeth together. "Where's he heading? I'm gonna kill him!"

"Easy, Storm," Wave warned, grabbing his arm.

Storm reluctantly sighed, crossing his arms. "Fine, but I'm wringing that guy's neck when I find him."

"Where's Vector and Espio?" I asked.

"Your friend Vector is being treated for his bullet wound." The Commander shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll make sure whoever injured him is severely reprimanded."

Gulping to myself, I glanced over at the horizon as everyone spoke on what happened. In the distance, I could see Cesare's limp form swaying in air. I wondered exactly who's side he was on since he seemed pretty strange. Even though he was Rodrigo's son, he acted rather defiant towards his father, and vice versa. Pondering on what bad blood was spilled between those two, his creepy aura came rushing back to my mind. Just how did he get it? Was Rodrigo involved, causing the enmity between them? Or was there something more that I couldn't put my finger.

If I knew, I could've stopped the tragedy from playing out.

The Commander's wrist suddenly beeped, bringing me out of my dazed wondering. "Hello?" he spoke at his wrist. "What?! Westopolis and South Island have been perfectly cleared of Slifers? Perfect!"

"Dude, why are you yelling at your wrist?" I stupidly questioned, scratching my head.

"It's a wrist communicator, idiot," Kumori barked.

"Hey, you can't call him an idiot!" Wave seethed, grabbing my hand and yanking me to her. "Charmy's my idiot. Isn't that right?"

"Actually...yeah," I moaned, glancing to my feet.

The Commander beamed at us, reporting, "We've won a splended victory, but the destruction has cost us, and lives were killed in these frays. Whoever is behind has to be stopped!"

"We'll stop Rodrigo!" I vowed, clenching my fist. "I've killed him twice, so I can do it again!"

"Then it's settled! Tomorrow, we're storming Babylon Garden!" Jet chimed in. "Rodrigo's going down!"

"Who's this "Rodrigo" character?" Kumori asked.

"I can tell you everything about Rodrigo the Crow at GUN HQ when we get back," Shadow replied. "We should part now, and I'll go see Sonic to tell him of you motives. He might want in."

"Actually, can you tell him that we'll handle this alone?" Jet asked.

"Alone? Are you insane?!" The Commander shrieked. "If this Rodrigo person can create thousands of those demonic birds-!"

"Slifers," Wave corrected.

"-Slifers, then who says that he can't kill you four?" the Commander finished.

"We won't be alone," Storm ushered. "We got back-up."

"We do?" I asked; Jet cuffed me over the head. "Uh, sure we do!"

The Commander nodded, allowing us to leave. Elise kissed my cheek for helping her, and I stupidly giggled. Blushing as I hopped onto Storm's back, I waved back at her. Elise grinned at me, waving slowly as the Babylon Rogues flew off with me. Storm took several jabs at me, stating that I had a crush on the princess. Wave and Jet chuckled as I fumed.

"Nuh-uh! Storm's a liar, and he's jealous!" I pointed out, sneering.

"Oh, how am I jealous?" Storm questioned, snickering.

"Because your girlfriend dumped you!" Wave chortled, tapping his shoulder.

"Sh-shut up, Wave!" Storm stammered, glancing away.

"Alright, ease up, everyone," Jet ordered. "For the rest, let's depart back to the airship."

"What about Vector and Espio?" I asked.

"We'll get them later, I promise. Let's go!" Jet zoomed off towards his ship with Wave, Storm and I following behind him.

Tomorrow would be the greatest and worst day of my life that would shape the course of Earth's history along with Babylon's. I wasn't ready for it, and someone precious to me was lost.

---

**A battle won leads to the final battle with Rodrigo! What did Tagio mean by the Master Emerald's prediction? Can Charmy defeat Rodrigo? Just who's side is Cesare on? Find out next time in Rogue's Bee!**


	17. Guardian of Babylon

Characters (C) Respective Owners

---

Ch. 16: Guardian of Babylon

There it was: my old pilot helmet. I hadn't worn the jet black helmet with red rims in such a long time. Ever since two years ago with my second battle with Rodrigo, I never wore it. It brought some...unpleasant memories to mind since I had always worn it during the bad times. It had been with my during the Metal Overlord incident all the way through Rodrigo's second death from overdosing from the Shadow form and me just generally beating him. After that, I never donned it in fear of nightmares to plague my mind.

Today, however, was completely different. Sighing, I glanced over my shoulder, making sure no one was watching. Snatching it out of my closet, I blew on it, and dust scattered. Sneezing, I stared at myself in the mirror of my room on the Babylonian airship. Propping the helmet on my head, I was surprised that it still fit after two years of dormancy. Cocking my head, I hardly recognized myself with it on, and my twin bangs jutted out, covering my eyes. Shoving them underneath, I twirled around slowly, inspecting myself: same opened jacket and same helmet. I looked exactly like I was eight-years-old again.

"Charmy, hurry up in there," Vector called from the outside. "We're moving out, kiddo!"

"Coming, Vector!" I replied, zooming out of the room as I grabbed my Type-C2 Extreme Gear.

"Whoa, the helmet!" Vector gasped, poking it gently. "I haven't seen you in this for a while."

"Yeah, I kinda grew detached from it after facing Rodrigo a second time since it brought back so many unpleasant memories," I sighed. Smiling up at him, I giggled. "Not anymore though! This time, Rodrigo's goin' down!"

"Atta boy!" Vector rubbed my head harshly, beaming down at me. "Come on, the others are waiting."

Following Vector at his side, I couldn't help the shaking turmoil digging inside my chest. It kept panging at my lungs, jabbing into my ribs, and stabbing my heart. Frowning at the fear probbing my brain, I pinched my shoulder to calm myself down and winced. Noticing my sudden distress, Vector kindly asked what was wrong. I always loved that about him, knowing exactly when a person was feeling down. Shaking my head, I simply told him that I was okay.

"Oh, no no no!" Wave screamed, throwing a tantrum like a little child. "That jerk! That jerk!"

"What's wrong, Wave?" Espio asked, avoiding a hammer that she threw off her table.

"My necklace, the Red Orb, is missing," she moaned, tossing all of her disposable junk off her work table.

"That's terrible," Vector proclaimed. He paused, looking around the room. "What Red Orb?"

"Vector, you're an idiot!" she shrieked, throwing her wrench at his head. Direct hit. "That fiend Rodrigo stole it from me! It's absolutely dreadful that a mediocore thief like Rodrigo, who was banished from the Babylon Rogues and hardly stole anything, could snag _my _necklace!"

As Espio and I tended to Vector's bleeding nostril, Jet and Storm barged into her room. Storm stared over to Vector in complete confusion while Jet just sighed. The hawk noticed the crocodile's wrist had the Light Ark of the Cosmos around it. Ignoring Wave's ranting, he bent down and grabbed Vector's wrist.

"Vector, you do realize this is one of Rodrigo's newest Arks of the Cosmos, right?" Jet demanded, making Wave stop mid-rant.

"Huh? But I though they were all destroyed!" Espio yelped, backing away. "How did you obtain this, Vector?"

"Well, while Storm chased Wave in Rodrigo's cell room, I found myself a little lost," Vector sheepishly grinned. "However, I found some sort of panel room with a machine that had Rodrigo's son, Cheezie-"

"Cheezie?" I repeated.

"It's Cesare," Wave corrected.

"You're point? Anyway, I found him strapped to that machine, and the poor guy looked like he was tortured or something! _Cesare_ was wired up and tapped up to the machine, and I snuck in afterwards. He turned to me and nodded towards the Ark, telling me to take it," Vector explained, "but I asked him why, and he simply shook his head."

"Speaking of Cesare, he parted with some of that freaky aura of his to help free my mind from Rodrigo's control," Jet chimed in.

"Cesare, I wonder who's side he's on?" Storm questioned with a lackadaisical shrug. "Wave, why were you bellowing?"

Wave glared defiantly at her comrade and pointed at her neck. "Rodrigo's stole my Red Orb and knocked me out soon after. I woke up when I heard you, Charmy and Vector come to rescue me. I have no clue what he did afterwards."

"Then let's stop yapping and get Rodrigo before he can do anything dangerous!" I piped out, eagerly gripping my Extreme Gear.

The crew nodded, but Storm teased me on wanting to get started, stating that I was "too serious". Jet piloted the ship out towards the desert across from the Gigan Rocks. Right in the center of the enternal sand was Babylon Garden, or should I place it as Rodrigo's Garden? I don't know about you, but "Rodrigo's Garden" sounds really...weird.

Anyway, I remained on the roof of the zeppelin as the others coversed down in the pilot's quarters. Slumping to my knees, I could make out Babylon Garden in the distance with a coveting darkness propelling around the edges. The sky surronding it was the break of a supposedly blissful dawn basking with yellows, oranges and pinks glistening around the perimeter of Babylon Garden. However, the darkness ahbored the beautiful dawn, crashing the wake with a demonic violet and black aura much like Cesare's. The castle in the middle, as we got closer, wasn't the gorgeous gold and crystal castle I remembered from the past. This castle was crafted from fierce metals, much like Count Dracula's destructive home.

My heart raced in my chest, pounding against my ribcage like how I terribly play the drums. Yes, I can admit that I thoroughly suck at the drums. Glancing at the sky, I wondered if the Babylonian gods were reeling at all of this tarnish towards their race's ancestral home. Pursing my lips, I felt odd being around Babylon Garden. I hadn't visited it since Wave was kidnapped, but Rodrigo hadn't dared to destroy Jet's ancestor's castle. By going back into the past, I had learned so much about Rodrigo's cause, and his lustful wrath against the Babylon Rogues. However, Rodrigo never had the right of passage to be allowed such a trivial rebellion, but just what happened next? What happened to the kingdom, and how did they end up here? What of the rest of the Babylonians? The questions rung in my head, and I shook them all away. Thinking too hard caused stress, and that's exactly what I didn't acquire.

"Yo, Charmy!" Vector sniggered, slapping me over the head playfully. "Stop spacing out, ya hear? We gotta get moving! In case you hadn't noticed, Jet landed!"

"Huh? What?" I slurred, shaking my head. "Ow! Vector, that really hurt!"

"Oh, come on," he chuckled, snatching me by my wings and slinging me on my board. "The others are coming up in a few moments after they situate themselves with weapons and Gears. You sure you're alright? We could very well be walking straight into a death trap."

"I dunno, Vec, it's just...I'm feeling really weird," I confessed. "Everything just stops whenever we bring this entire fight up. I mean, I feel so strange inside. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. Sorry, I'm being a downer."

"Hey, it's better to get your feelings out now than regret them later," Vector whispered, hugging me gently.

I froze in his embrace before grinning and hugging him back. "Awww, thanks! You're the coolest, boss!"

"I am, ain't I?"

"If you two are done with your fatherly son love jive, can we get going?" Wave snapped as she and the others came up through a staircase that led to the roof.

"Yeah, we gotta settle this," Jet added. "So I can make it up to you, Wave. For all the crap Rodrigo forced me to do, I'm making sure he stays in hell this time!"

"Nuh-uh!" I protested. "Rodrigo's my problem! I'll deal with him!"

"Fine, then I'm going with you," Jet argued, crossing his arms.

"B-but I went alone at it last time!" I whined.

"Well, not this time! I have a personal vendetta against that devious crow, and I'm at least getting one punch in!"

"Alright, you can help me," I sighed as Jet clenched his fist in accomplishment. Closing my eyes, I added, "Just don't screw anything up!"

"You're still complaining?" Espio questioned as they others were on their Extreme Gear and flying away.

"Hey! No fair! Wait for me!" I cried, jumping on my Gear and caught up with the others.

For some reason, Babylon Garden seemed tranquil even though the once angelic paradise transformed onto a monstrosity. No Slifers surronded the edges of the jagged edges of Babylon, and none of Rodrigo's cronies were out. Maybe they were all sleeping or recovering from a night of celebrating after destroying major cities by using Slifers as pawns? Storm was slapped after he suggested that they were sleeping in after very naughty events. I'll let your mind wander on his thoughts since they aren't approved for this story.

We arrived at the previously glorious castle of King Stolen that had risen and fallen in Rodrigo's rule. The castle was literally like staring at a demon's cavern, tainted with black walls and a pulsating evil that was tangiable to me. Jet commented that they were standing at the entrance that he, Storm and Wave once went into to face the Guardian God of Babylon, Angelous with Sonic and friends. Storm and Vector both grabbed two doorknobs and nodded at each other. Heaving the door opened, we were created with a beautfully crimson carpet and twin gold bookcases with several notebooks. Wave snatched one, skimming through it and continued to search through the books.

"Um, Wave? In case you haven't noticed that we're not here for reading," I sneered; Wave threw a small screwdriver at my head and hit straight on my forehead.

"Great, he better not be unconsious," Jet muttered. "Storm, slap him around a bit."

"Sure, Boss," Storm said, grabbing my arm.

"I-I'm okay!" I jeered, rising to my feet. "No need for premature pain!"

Wave smirked, pocketing her screwdriver. "Good choice, but don't insult me ever again, bee. I might just hit you in a very uncomfortable spot."

You can probably figure that out. Without warning, our Extreme Gear suddenly short-circuited and sputtered out. Wave gasped, snatching her fallen Gear and inspected it thoroughly. She sighed, rapping it against the bookcases and stated that she couldn't work on them just now. Nobody wanted to waste any time, and without our Gears, we would have to go slower than what we hoped for. Jet sighed, commanding us to get moving. Leaving our Extreme Gear behind to Wave's dissapointment, we darted off towards another set of doors, and the tag team duo of Storm and Vector smashed them down like it was paper.

The next room was completely digital with the floor panels streaming with some strange combination of black electricity that streamed along the endless walls and ceiling. Storm gasped, remembering how this area was the place where they discovered the premature Extreme Gear: The Magic Carpet that hung in Jet's office, never used. Jet grimaced, searching around and murmured that he heard something. Espio commented that the emerald hawk was crazy, until he gasped lightly, saying he heard it as well. Due to listening to music almost every hour of every waking moment, Vector cried aloud that he was dearly deaf and thought that Espio and Jet were insane.

"You're arriving in my ancestor's castle? It's rather pathetic to even attempt this slealth attack." From above, Siring came swooping down with Aliza on his own version of Extreme Gear. It was a blood color with sharp edges like his own senbon and a black base. In his hand were four senbon, each clenced in a crevice that divided his scarred fingers. Landing, he and Aliza both sneered at us. "For your defiance, sister, Lord Rodrigo has asked me to kill you promptly."

"But before that, he came up with a little guest that you Babylon Rogues should remember," Aliza snickered, snapping her fingers. "Behold, Angelous! Guardian God of Babylon!"

The room trembled like an earthquake randomly struck. The center of the room cracked open, revealing a mammoth sized hole. A, avian being, presumably a hawk, was rising up and nearly twenty or thirty feet tall with beady white eyes and purple feathers jutted up in a massive ponytail coiled together in a messy bunch by a ring. He donned an Arabian like red vest with a gold outer trim and white sash with a gold necklace like Storm's but with three topaz shards. His fingers were covered with different sets of rings, and his beak matched the color of his feathers. Below his chest sprung down like a type of mist that stretched until some sort of lamp controlled it. Ironically enough, the lamp was glowing violet like the hawk.

"Angelous, you were revived by my ancestor and lord, Rodrigo," Sirin stated calmly as Angelous glowered down at him. He jabbed an angry finger at the Babylon Rogues. "I do believe you recall them?"

"The greedy fools!" Angelous boomed, his voice reverbrating alongside the techno-crazed walls. "They came here for a bounty of treasure, but they found only wisdom. Wisdom in the form of Stolen's Magic Carpet, the first Extreme Gear. I was once the guardian of this place, but now I serve Lord Rodrigo."

"Oh, just perfect," Jet groaned, rubbing his temple. "This guy's a god of Babylon, and one that hates us for barging in."

"If you live, travel those stairs," Aliza commanded, jabbing her thumb back to a silver staircase. "Until then, we bid you adieu."

Sirin contemptously glowered down at Wave, senbon appearing like extra fingers. "They won't survive. Fate conspires with us, darling sister, and Angelous would be ever more than pleased to crush you."

"You're no brother of mine!" Wave shouted, brandishing her Wrench O' Doom. "You're just a little clone of Rodrigo!"

Instead of replying, Sirin just smirked and flew off with Aliza on his Extreme Gear. Angelous glanced back at them before raising his head and released a roar that actually transformed the battle field. Surronding us now was the epitome of hell with statues of demons, and an actual sky that glowed scarlet with yellow, ominous clouds. Spikes stabbed from underneath the ground, and caves appeared alongside the endless walls. Storm gulped, clearly frightened as he backed up a few steps.

"Hey, Mister Genie Guy?" I childishly asked; Angelous glared down at me, not knowing who I was. "Why are you working with Rodrigo?"

"I do not know you," Angelous grumbled lowly. "Speak! What are the names of the three unknown creatures?"

"I am Vector the Crocodile!" Vector gleefully announced. "My comrades are Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee! We are Team Chaotix, the greatest detectives in the world!"

"If only we could get work," Espio muttered.

"...You speak the truth, for the most part," Angelous said arrogantly. "The bee, Charmy, dons flamed wrists! A mark of the Babylon Rogues, yet he is not of their tribe. That is punishable by the gods! Prepare yourselves, outlaws!"

"Oh, this is a way to start the morning," Jet sardonically murmured.

"You can say that again," I agreed.

"Oh, this is a way-"

"Jet, I was kidding."

The genie god rushed down at us, spewing balls of light from his hands. Jet screamed at us to scatter, and I seriously wished that my Extreme Gear didn't randomly die out on me. Hiding behind a statue, I glanced up at it as its jaw seemed to want to clamp down over my head. Shivering at the thought, I peered out to find Angelous gone. Something tapped my head, and I cursed morbidly under my breath. Glancing around, I found Angelous spitting a flamethrower from his fingertip, and I was too paralyzed to move. Thankfully, Espio snatched my wrist, and, using his ninja skills, leaped from the tops of the statues and landed gracefully on the ground. If only he did that in the beginning when Rodrigo first showed up at South Island.

"Aim for the lamp!" Wave ordered, dodging the stream of flames. "That's the weak spot!"

"Hm, fools! Do you not think I've covered my mistakes from out last bout?" Angelous cruelly cooed, creating a small barrier around his lamp.

"Great, now whadda we do?" Vector moaned.

"Just don't get hit! Those balls of seemingly measly light are actually really dangerous!" Storm called, avoiding another beam of light.

Angelous roared once more, summoning two large balls of light and tossed them. All of us quickly dodged and split up. I darted into a large trench created by Angelous' rage, and I covered my head as a jet of white light spat from his mouth. It singed the top of my antennaes, and I realized that I was his target. His hand came out of no where, snatching me up and began to squeeze the life out of me.

"Can you breathe?" the guardian hissed malevolently. When my face started to grew amethyst, the genie god sneered darkly. "Perfect! Your crimes shall punished by suffocation!"

_No! I-I can't let it end like this! If I lose to him..._My mind raced, and I reered back my left leg. _...I'll never be a match for Rodrigo! Everyone will die!_

Swinging my leg with all of my might, I slashed it at his left topaz shard. Suddenly, it broke on contact, and Angelous reered back in absolute pain. Releasing me, I flopped to the ground, and Storm caught me. Jabbing a finger at Angelous' necklace, I announced that by destroying the shards would lead to Angelous' downfall. Espio and Vector glanced over at me, and we all had the largest grins on our faces.

"Yo, Babylon Rogues! Cover your ears immediately!" Vector ordered, smirking as wickedly as possible.

"Cover our ears?" Jet repeated in confusion. "But why?"

"Just do it or really bad things will happen!" I added, grinning. "Yay! We haven't done this in so long!"

"Alright, boys, Chaotix Recital! Go!" Vector commanded cheerfully.

Espio pulled out his samisen, and I yanked out my bass drum and hooked it around my body with twin mallets. Vector yoinked out an enlarged microphone that would look proper in the fifties. The Babylon Rogues literally facepalmed all at the exact same time and quickly covered their ears. Sucking in a breath, Vector counted to three, and we began to play...horribly. Espio's fingers seemed to be like static, and I just pounded away to the beat of my drum. Vector, well...

"MYYYYY NAAAAME IS DETECTIVE VECTOOOOR! AND IIIIIIII AM VEEERY HANDSOOOOME!" he sang terribly like a wannabe rock star.

...My friends are great, aren't they?

The Babylon Rogues just stared at us like we were on something, covering their ears tightly to drown out the terrifying musical notes suddenly dashing out towards Angelous. The guardian god of Babylon shrieked with agony, covering his ears, but left his necklace wide open. The multi-colored musical notes slashed destructively against the topaz shard on the left, cutting it apart into little pieces. Angelous screamed painfully, and we stopped our "music"

"...W-w-what the hell was that?" Storm questioned as they removed their hands from their ears.

"You guys suck!" Wave barked; Vector lowered his head in shame.

"At least I'm still sexy," Espio scoffed; everyone gave him strange looks. "You can't deny it, I am."

Angelous growled down at us, screaming, "You little pests! Greedy fools! I'll smite all of you in Lord Rodrigo's name!"

"Hold it! Why do you follow Rodrigo anyway?" Jet demanded, raising his bansho fans in defense.

"I was resurrected under his influence," Angelous explained dryly, devoid of emotion. He sounded exactly like Sirin, being all plain and fatalistic. "I am under his rule, having no will of my own. Enough talk! Die!"

"But you're free, aren't you?" I countered. "You're alive, now. So, can't you do whatever you want? You can still follow your duty as the guardian god of Babylon!"

"Alas, I cannot due the treasure being stolen when I was defeated by the hands of the Babylon Rogues!" Angelous roared.

"But you're a genie! They can't die!" Jet argued hotly.

"You are correct," the god admitted. "However, I was sealed away in this room due to my failure, and Lord Rodrigo brought me back to a psysical form instead of a wandering, bodyless spirit."

"Negotiations aren't working," Wave murmured. "We have to destroy the last shard! We may be able to restore some of his sanity if we do!"

"Alright! Storm, Wave, it's time!" Jet called.

"Time for what?" Vector asked.

"It's our turn to show off," Storm replied, smirking. "Besides, this is our fight, so you guys start for those stairs, and we'll be right with ya!"

"You got it, Storm! Espio, Charmy, let's move!" the crocodile commanded, darting for the stairs behind Angelous.

"You won't get away!" Angelous vowed, smashing his mighty fist towards us. "Huh?!"

Storm gripped his enlarged fist with both of his bone-crushing hands. Nodding his head at us, I waved off to Storm as the Chaotix and I headed for the stairs. We waited patiently for the Babylon Rogues to finish their battle at the end of the magestic, silver stairs. As Angelous pounded his other fist at Storm, the albatross suddenly climbed onto the fist he caught. Jet and Wave leaped onto his broad shoulders, and he spun around quickly. Tossing both of them into the air, Storm jumped on Angelous' oncoming fist and halted that with his own bare hands. Angelous growled, projecting an enormous ball of light at them, but Jet cut away at it with his fans. Gripping Jet's arm as they were still spinning, Wave flipped backwards with him and chucked him down at Angelous' chest. Grasping his fans tightly, Jet suddenly slashed both of them in an X formation at the middle topaz.

At first, all was silent as Storm caught Jet and Wave in his hands and placed them on the ground. Angelous smirked down at them before the topaz shattered into twin pieces. Gaping in horror, Angelous' bottle began to glow, and his body was quickly devoured by a wave of light. Enveloped with pain, the Babylonian god screamed with terror, stating that he didn't want to go back to the darkness and faded into the genie bottle. Quietly, Jet picked up the gold lamp with a red scar over it and pocketed it in his vest.

"Whooaaa! That was so cool!" I squealed.

"What was that, anyway?" Espio inquired. "I'm pretty impressed, and that's a rare sight for myself."

"We call that our X Hawk," Jet proudly stated. "We've been working on it ever since Charmy left two years ago. Took some time, but we managed to dish out all the kinks."

Storm rubbed his head. "Ugh, I feel sick," he groaned, face paling.

"Don't you dare throw up!" Wave shrieked. "You did last time because of all the twirling, you big idiot!"

"W-who're you calling an idiot?!" Storm barked.

"How's about both of you stop fighting?" Espio snapped, crossing his arms. "Come, we have to get a move on while they are suspecting we lost Angelous."

"It's kinda sad," Vector muttered as we ascended the steps.

"What is, Vector?" I questioned, floating next to him.

"That we gotta walk up all these stairs!" Vector snapped.

"We have to _walk _all the way up these stairs?" Jet cried. "I can't do that! Storm, carry me!"

"Um, what?" Storm blinked.

Jet climbed up on the albatross' shouder, snapping a finger forward. "Hi-ho, Storm, away! Giddy up, birdie!"

"...You're crazy, Boss."

We all laughed at Storm's misfortune as Wave crawled up to his other shoulder, leaning against Jet. Espio and I got the same idea and sat on Vector's back with me on Espio's head. This was like two years all over again, except with humor. The staircases were the exact same, but I never duked it out with Angelous. When I was six, Storm informed me of the first Ex World Grand Prix, and how the Babylon Rogues had to team up with Team Sonic and Amy to defeat him in order to recieve the Magic Carpet. I was fascinated by the tale, and I was honestly surprised that it wasn't made up. Sighing, I gazed up at the dark halls, illuminated only by a dim light on the ceiling. The future was coming too quickly.

Unknown to any of us was a lone figure drapped in a white gown. "Oh, gods, please. Guard their souls, and bring his sanity back," she whispered and vanished in a bright, resilent light.

---

"What?! That damn Angelous lost to a bunch of idiots?!" Rodrigo roared as Sirin flinched.

"Yes, my lord," Sirin murmured as Aliza stood back.

"Ugh, idiots! The lot of you!" Rodrigo growled, slamming his fist in the wall of his quarters where he used Cesare in the machine to make the new Arks. "Did you at least manage to steal the Light Gravity Ark?"

Sirin nodded, presenting a white Ark that used to belong on Vector's wrist. "I did. While Vector was distracted in his...musical number, I snuck in their while everyone was too dense to notice with your vanishing potion," Sirin bemusedly said.

Snatching it out of his hands, Rodrigo's grin grew broad. "Hah! You aren't completely useless after all! With this, those fools won't stand a chance!" Facing away from them, he drew out Wave's Red Orb and shouted, "Now, get going! Guard your rooms with your lives!"

With a monotonous "yes sir" from both of them, Sirin and Aliza headed back out. The scarred sparrow found Cesare glaring at him darkly with his yellow eyes switching to grey. Cringing at his ancestor, Sirin stormed off, but Cesare's aura suddenly covered him. Cesare grabbed his cape, smashing him into the metal walls.

"My father has you right under his accursed finger," Cesare hissed. "He doesn't even treat you like his blood, but a lowly servant!"

"You are his son? It's ironic at how much you oppose him, though you are blood as you said," Sirin grumbled, grasping his senbon. "If you want to die, ancestor, fate will allow it. Fate is always on my side!"

"Fate schmate. You're nothing to Rodrigo, but a disposable pawn. Take a look at Cannon and Sarge for examples."

The words didn't affect Sirin, and he darted off down a flock of stairs, shoving past Aliza. The dragon girl shouted after him, barging down for him. The crow stood there, his aura blocking all sorts of vision. Sighing, Cesare bit his finger and cursed.

"Mother, the plan may be altered," he muttered. "If I offend you, forgive me with your light."

---

**One obstacle down, and more to go! Who will the group face next? Why is Sirin so glued to Rodrigo? Just who is Cesare working for? Find out next time in Rogue's Bee! Please, review.**


	18. Kindness to the Demon

Characters (C) Respective Owners

---

Ch. 17: Kindness to the Demon

"I hate you guys..." Storm panted, trudging up the stairs with Jet and Wave on his shoulders.

"Silence! March, Storm!" Jet commanded, jabbing a finger at the staircase. "We have way more steps to climb! Don't die out on us just yet!"

"One of these days," Storm growled under his breathe, obediantly stomping onward.

The staircase we traveled on was jagged, littered with some types of stone that looked like diamonds in the barren castle. The walls were a crisp, black metal with some windows. The morning sun had risen over the horizon, and I tried to ignore the tangiable fear growing restless in my stomach. Each step brought us closer to someone's destined fate. At any crazy moment, the future could change on all of us. To me, fate was just something that was made to defy, like gravity with the Arks of the Cosmos. Some people, like Sirin, heavily believed in it and bowed down like willing slaves to go straight to the slaughter. Interestingly enough, the characters of the players in this tale changed heavily, and fate was constantly defied. It took me a while to realize that it wasn't simply luck or karma that brought us here: Fate did this to exact revenge on all of us by defying it and in a really odd way for myself.

For once, I remained silent. Other than facing Rodrigo, it was the toughest decision of my life to keep my lips sowed together with the toughest threads. Vector attempted conversation with me, and Espio duly replied for me to keep the light of things high. I could feel the Babylon Rogues' eyes just boring six holes through the back of my skull, obviously pondering over my lack of hyper communication. Wave called out to me, but I ignored her, trying to think about the upcoming battle. The swallow threw her screwdriver at me, but I ducked at the last possible second since I thought I saw a quarter. The screwdriver slammed into the back of Vector's scalp.

"Yowch!" Vector cried, halting on the stair with Storm one step behind him. "Wave, what the heck?!"

"Sorry, Vector," Wave said genuinely. "I was only trying to get that emo bee to actually talk!"

"Oh, shut up, Wave," I mumbled to myself, glaring at my feet.

"_What_ did you say?" she demanded cruelly.

"I said, _shut up_! I just don't want to talk right now! Happy?"

I know I was being completely out of character for my normal jubilantly ADHD-like personality. Yet, I did have a plausible reason for doing so: I was confused with my daydreams. Everytime that day if I tried to think of something reasonable to defeat Rodrigo by, that vision plagued my mind. I didn't tell anyone about it, fearing they'd call me crazy. For some reason, I recalled from two years ago on Angel Island that the Master Emerald designed a vision right on its shimmering core. It was Rodrigo and I, clearly defeated, in the hellish crow's grasp. He was holding me over the edge of Babylon Garden with Slifers in the background, and he chanted something in the Babylonian language before stabbing me with my own kunai. After that, the vision had ended promptly.

It was like that vision was on repeat in my mind. The scent of blood distictively seemed to filter and block out other smells. The voices of the others seemed awkward and misplaced in my head like they were speaking a different language. The precarious stairs seemed like they would collapse at any moment, and phantasmic anxiety shuddered in my bloodstream. Ambigiously, I felt my right arm trembling, and I quickly snatched it with my other to stop my traumatic spazzing.

"Yo, look up there!" Vector ordered, dragging me out of my Shadow-like angst.

"Finally, that is probably the first room to engage in battle," Espio stated. "That also means are first client must be inside."

There was a crystal door bedazzled with the actual jewels. The crystals were a bright, light sky color that were undoubtably worth more money than I could imagine. Jet greedily plucked a shard before Espio slapped it away down the stairs. The emerald hawk openly whined before Wave slapped him over the head. I noticed that there was no handle to enter, so Storm reeled his fist back and clobbered the door down.

The room was encased in a suitcase of darkness. There was absolutely no source of light or even a speckle of grey. The doors suddenly slammed shut behind us, and Storm latched onto Vector, unmanly shrieking out. In case people are stupid out there, Storm dislikes the dark as much as he despises ghosts, which is a heckuva lot. The crocodile slapped the frightful seabird upside the head as the room suddenly flooded with light. Covering our eyes, I heard Wave make out a few curses over the unnatural light. As our eyes slowly afixated to the light, someone began to slowly clap and yawn.

"Anybody have a beer?" Cesare the Crow questioned, scratching the back of his head.

"How the hell are you Rodrigo's son?" Jet grunted, being the first to adjust to the burst of light.

"Honestly, I wonder that myself," Cesare chuckled dryly. "Seems that I'm put in a very awkward position when my charges are standing right in front of me."

"Charges?" Espio repeated suspiciously, swipping out several shuriken from his glove compartments.

That hideously disgusting aura formed around Cesare like it fumed out of his pores, clutching onto every strand of air. Gasping, I bit my lip, and all of the memories of my friends and mother dying surged through my head. Jet subconsiously grazed his white, chest feathers with his fingers as though feeling for something. Cesare smirked, slowly drawing out his longsword and allowed the tip to gently lay on the tiled floor. Espio's grip tightened on his shuriken while Wave slowly reached for her wrench.

Suddenly, Cesare aimed his sword at the door and grinned. "Don't worry, I'm not here for some sort of savoring, violent fight. Just get going."

"Excuse me?" Wave asked with her eyes dialating in shock. "You're just letting us pass on through?"

"Let's just say I have my own battle to attend to," Cesare snickered.

He quickly turned backwards to block an oncoming red sphere diving towards him. His sword reflected the sudden ball, forcing the mysterious vigilente to bounce backwards with a bright yellow figure in a cobalt, unzipped vest. Cesare cocked his head at the newcomers, unsure of who they were. One was a red shelled armadillo with black fur with a yellow stomach and a lighter colored muzzle. He donned a green sleeveless with matching boots that had three identical white stripes and standard gloves. The yellow squirell had patch of bushy fur that swirled into a large bang, a tan muzzle with shining blue eyes, similar to the other one. He had a blue vest with matching shoes that zipped with no gloves. Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirell stood at attention in fighting positions.

"Took you two long enough," Vector sneered as the Babylon Rogues blinked in confusion.

"We decided to take the long route," Mighty jeered. "You know, enjoy nature, listen to the singing of birds. Not the Babylon Rogues, mind you."

"And we had to go through a few obstacles before getting here," Ray sheepishly added.

"Like what?" Storm questioned, eyes still slightly wide from their startling appearance.

"Slifers caught us off guard," Mighty responded, arms crossed. "I'd rather not fight, but the world hangs in the balance."

"You heard what the creepy crow said. Get going!" Ray commanded.

Ray had severely matured over the past four years that I knew him. At first, when I was six, he was the timidest stutter on the planet. He was even worse than Storm, and that's saying alot. At eight, he had grew braver, but was still introverted in front of new people. Finally, now that he's fourteen, Ray's confidence sky rocketed to the moon. I was proud of the diligence Ray showed over the past few years, sticking up for himself and actually picking on me sometimes when it was _me_ who started to laugh at him. How the tables turn in just a few short years! No really, he dumped a bucket of fishpaste over my head at our Christmas party last year.

"When'd you two even get here?" Wave demanded, shaking off her surprise.

"Unknowingly to you three, the Chaotix sent us a message on your phone to have a sneak attack against your first enemy," Mighty explained. "Since Cesare will be alone with us, you'll have more people and an advantage number wise."

"That's actually pretty well thought out," Cesare murmured, swinging his sword lazily in his hand, wrist rotating slowly.

"Oh, thank you," Mighty replied. He stared at him for a few moments, dropping his guard. "...Who are you again?"

Cesare facepalmed and sighed. "I'm Cesare. You know, the other crow that was with Rodrigo? I'm his son? I stopped Tagio from killing Tomo and Howl at the Jet and Wave's wedding? Is any of this ringing a bell?" Mighty shook his head. "...My God, you're stupid."

"Am not!" Mighty pouted.

"Don't even start that kind of argument with me."

"Well, uh, can we go now?" Jet questioned, pointing a finger at another pair of stairs located behind Cesare.

"You're still here?" Ray inquired.

Cesare pointed towards a pair of black, crystaled stairs that led up to another unknown terroritory. "You're next opponent shall be Aliza the Dragon and Lucrezia the Crow, and after them, Sirin the Sparrow."

Wave's eyes narrowed on Cesare, and she refused to budge. "Why are you informing us of this? It doesn't make any sense. You stopped Charmy's torture, and you even helped Jet free himself from Rodrigo's control. Whose side are you on?!"

"My dear descendant, you could very well believe I'm on your side," Cesare cooed malevolently. "You could also believe I work for my father. You may even think I'm corresponding with the Solar Tribe. However, all three of those are correct. I'm just following a promise. Are we all not Babylonians for the most part?"

"Stop speaking in riddles!" Jet roared, drawing his fans.

"Hold it," Vector commanded, crossing his arms. "I think I'm comprehending what you mean."

"Vector, just what is he saying?" I cluelessly asked.

The Chaotix leader simply smirked and urged us to move forward. Reluctantly obeying him, we all darted past the demonic crow with Mighty and Ray lagging behind to face Cesare. Vector hesitated at Cesare's side, and curiously, he glanced down at him. Placing a comforting hand on Cesare's shoulder, he smiled down towards. Cesare gaped slightly before returning the kind gaze with one of his own, but without the smile. Jet shouted at Vector to hurry up, and the crocodile whispered something to Cesare, making the crow nod. Vector scurried along with us up the stairs as Storm bluntly refused to carry Jet again.

"What did you mention to Cesare?" Espio demanded. "He is still our enemy, no matter what the circumstances are."

"And just what did he mean by his random monologue?" Storm placed a confused finger by his beak, a newly acquired trademark of his that marked his confusion.

"I just told him good luck," Vector shrugged. "As for the monologue, well..."

---

Mighty and Ray gandered at the darting thieves and detectives as they hobbled up the stairs. Cesare remained passive, clutching his longsword and glaring daggers at the ground. Ray exchanged a worried stare towards the crow's emerging aura as it slowly covered Cesare's body, but Mighty held him back from doing anything. Cesare's eyes flashed grey for a few moments, swapping continously between gold and silver, before remaining on the latter.

"What's wrong with his eyes, Mighty?" Ray murmured, fear tightening at his throat.

"I think it's because of that creepy aura," Mighty suggested, cracking his knuckles.

"You are right on that," Cesare praised. "My aura is a much powerful entity than you can imagine. For now, however, I'll get down to business by striking you down!"

"As much as I dislike fighting, we have to defeat you," Mighty proclaimed as Ray began to take flight.

Cesare charged at the two former Chaotix members, sword clutched tightly in his hand. As he rapidly began his swings at Mighty, the skilled armadillo snatched his sword promptly. Intending on breaking it, Cesare's hellish aura suddenly blocked his vision and encased his peripheral vision in darkness. Gasping, Mighty shook his head before barely avoiding Cesare's sword. Ray swooped down from above, landing on Cesare's shoulders and grabbed for his wrist. Cesare scowled, elbowing the yellow flying mammal in the gut. He gasped, but Ray refused to budge and kept his grip on Cesare's wrist.

"You know, I can just do this," Cesare pointed out, swapping his sword to his left hand.

"You're ambidexterious?" Ray gasped.

"No, I try though," Cesare sneered, ramming his head into Ray's chest.

Ray flew backwards, and rolled to his left to avoid the oncoming slash of Cesare's sword. Mighty darted at him, missing a punch to Cesare's face. Smirking, the cunning armadillo smashed his fist into the ground, and the ground trembled like an earthquake. Yelping, Cesare winced as he fell to the ground and dropped his sword. Mighty snatched the sword, aiming it at Cesare's throat.

"Game over, pal," Mighty snickered.

"That's pretty good, kids, but the game is far from over," Cesare snarled. "Demonic Formation!"

Suddenly, Cesare's nightmare-weilding aura began to spread around the entire room. It was like being encased in a million nightmares combined into one with cries of death and malice from the tiny faces. Mighty gasped, backing up against Ray, still clinging to Cesare's sword. The crow began to sweat, holding out his hands to control the aura and gasped heavily. Falling to one knee, Cesare clutched his head as the room was filtered with his aura.

"This...is Altearith," Cesare explained. "You may have heard of this place where Charmy faced and killed my father two years ago."

Altearith was a placid, morbid place. If emos could go there, they would have a field day due to the bleakness and obscurity of color. The oxygen was limited due to the cramped space, and Mighty felt a sudden lump in his lungs. He gazed around, seeing thousands of tiny faces, all with horrified expressions like they were dying slowly, painfully, and torturously. Ray bit his trembling lip, but it refused to stop quivering.

Flopping to his feet, Cesare covered his eyes and spat on the ground. "Altearith is the place where my foster mother, the Lady Vannoza, died due to a broken heart. Today, it is my haven and my hell."

"Your haven and hell?" Mighty repeated. "Just how can those two concepts even mix?"

"It's my haven because only my father and I can venture it. It's my hell since those damn, malicious faces torment me every day of my life," Cesare hissed. "I was free from their rage when I was in the underworld, but they are back now that I am risen."

"H-h-how'd they come back?" Ray stammered, looking ready to wet himself.

"It was my curse as a child," Cesare informed. "I was...no, nevermind. It is not my place to tell you since you two aren't the ones I promised to reveal my story to."

"You can tell us!" Ray urged.

"We're trustworthy," Mighty ushered, sauntering towards the grunting crow. He placed a hand on Cesare's shoulder, but flinched when Cesare's suddenly drove his talons into his arm. "Gah, let go!"

"It's not your place to demand to know anything about me!" Cesare roared, swinging his fist at Mighty's face. Direct hit. "Now, leave."

"H-how can we leave?" Ray scoffed. "You trapped us in here!"

"...Oh, good point. I guess we can just spare for a little while then."

Mighty and Ray glanced at each other, questioning Cesare's sanity mentally. Tossing Cesare's sword to the opposite side of him, Mighty charged up with a left straight, but Cesare skillfully dodged the blow, aiming a kick right for his chin. Ray dived in and snatched Mighty's arm seconds before the hit landed, flying off into the air. Cesare smirked, clapping his hands together. Meshes of the hideous aura oozed off the wall, aiming towards the flying friends. Ray whimpered, dashing away and accidentally dropped Mighty to the ground.

"Sorry, Mighty!" Ray called as the aura chased him.

"Why am I facing nimrods?" Cesare muttered to himself.

Mighty groaned, holding his head in agony. Just as he was about to get up, Cesare's aura suddenly surronded him and trapped him in a small ball. Mighty gasped, slamming his fists against the aura, and it only had his hands bust through before getting sucked back inside. As for Ray, the exact same commotion was happening to him as well. Cesare sucked in a breathe, cracking his neck and sighed. Raising his hands, both of the aura balls clashed together, trapping Mighty and Ray in the same demonic oval.

Cesare suddenly winced as Mighty and Ray began to slam against his aura oval in futile attempts at freedom. He slowly walked over to them before a wave of pain surged through his brain. Crying out, he grasped his forehead and fell to his knees. Silver eyes flashed back to gold, and he groaned, flopping over. Exhaustion flooded through his body, clinging to every particle of his being as his aura began to cackle lowly.

"Don't...sneer...at me," Cesare weakly growled. "Aren't...you...my ally, darkness?"

"Hey, are you okay out there?" Mighty called, diverting the crow's attention. "You sound like you're in pain!"

Giving Mighty an exasperated stare, Ray's mouth flopped open like a fish trying to breathe on land. "A-are you crazy, Mighty?! He's-he's psycho! A demon!"

"Ray, that's despicable," Mighty chided, slapping his best friend's shoulder. "Nobody's that cruel, and he is not a demon. I think he's being used, aren't you, Cesare? A real villian would just kill us right now, right? You're different, I can see that in you! Even if you have some kind of evil aura, your heart is beating a different tune than destruction."

Cesare stared over to the ball and slowly dragged himself to his feet. Clapping his hands together, the aura dissolved back to Altearith, and it slowly tore itself apart. Mighty and Ray rubbed their eyes to adjust to the light cracking a twilight in the battle room. Cesare grunted as his aura was sucked into his body, and his eyes widened before returning to silver. Pinching his eyes to keep himself from falling unconsious, Cesare found a tint of metallic light shinining in front of him. Ray was holding his fallen sword, holding it out front to him.

"Um, here," Ray sheepishly said, blushing.

"Thank you," Cesare murmured, grasping the sword.

"So, if you don't like Rodrigo, why do you work for him?" Mighty quesitoned, sitting on the ground. Patting a spot next to him, he grinned when a flushed Cesare obediantly, if shyly, kneeled next to him. "You are his kid, right?"

"Yes, I'm Rodrigo's son, but I'm a bastard. My mother was a sparrow named Nachine, and one of Vannoza's cousins." Cesare shrugged slowly. "Vannoza, however, was the epitome of an angel, loving me like my half-sibling and daughter with Rodrigo, Lucrezia. Nachine died in my child birth, and my father always outcasted me and favored Lucrezia. I didn't hate my sister for it. In fact, I was happy for her that her precious daddy was always there. I was used..."

"Used?" Mighty recited softly.

Cesare glanced away sadly, retrieving memories from the darkest crevices of his mind. "I'm sorry, I got overwhelmed by flashbacks."

"Hey, no prob, buddy!" Mighty jeered, slapping his back; Cesare cringed. "It's okay to feel miserable at some memories, but if you cherish the good times, more will come soon enough!"

"Mighty's right! You just gotta keep your spirits up!" Ray added eagerly, rubbing Cesare's head.

Cesare stared at both of them, wide-eyed and shocked. They had just met, and he attempted to kill them, but they were being genuinely sweet. Nobody that wasn't in his family was ever that kind to him, and for a few seconds, all of his disdain seemed to wash over by a giant wave. For the first time in his reserrection, Cesare smiled with warmth that would've illuminated the entire room if Mighty hadn't already done so.

"You two are such characters," Cesare proclaimed joyfully. "I'm pretty glad you two were the ones to face me. I probably just would've angst an entire battle if it were someone else."

"To think, your superior attitude comes from such mental problems."

Before his eyes fell back into his head, Mighty was pushed back by a beam of dark gravity succumbing him to the ground. Ray had fallen by the blast, clunking his head hard enough to render him unconsious. More willful then Ray, Mighty's black eyes weakly glared up at their assaliant, revealing himself to be Rodrigo. Reering his foot back, Rodrigo slammed it onto Mighty's neck, hitting the approximate spot to keep him from waking. Mighty gagged before his head slowly collided with the ground.

Cesare instantly checked their pulses, finding stable, yet uneven ones on both Mighty and Ray. Glaring back at their subdoer, he was horrified to find his father glaring down at him. The younger crow gulped audible, rising cautiously like he was walking on a bed of nails.

"Cesare, _son_, just why are sitting down, lazing about and conversing with our enemies when you should be killing them?!" Rodrigo shouted.

"I-I'm sorry," Cesare stuttered as his father raised his scythe over Mighty's head. "Don't!"

"Why not?" Rodrigo snapped irritably. "They're in my way."

"Well, they could be of use to us later," Cesare quickly bluffed. "Maybe if we bequeath them of their attributes, they could become fine warriors of your army, Father!"

"Attributes?"

"The armadillo named Mighty is the strongest being the world, and Ray..." Cesare hesitated, knowing that Ray was only rather intelligent, kind and could fly. Nothing more. "...Ray is similar to a Slifer, being able to fly so you may be able to transform him into another mindless demon."

Rodrigo paused, his mind filled with conflict. Glancing over to his son, he smirked before chuckling. "Heh heh, I never knew you cared for people you just met. Just because they showed you a little kindness and hardly any hostility means nothing!" Cesare flinched as his father continued. "When Charmy came to the past, he was the nicest person other than Van. He didn't treat me like a monster at the beginning, but look where he got me! That damn honeybee is back to make my life hell for a fourth time! Once in my first life on Babylon, second four years ago, and third two years previous. Now, it's his homecoming for senior year, and I'm making everything go straight to my will. Charmy Bee will not survive."

"Father, just leave Mighty and Ray alone," Cesare requested, bowing his head.

Rodrigo snarled, snatching his son by his wrist. Noticing Cesare wince, he immediately let go and glared at the staircase that led to the next level. Cesare rubbed his wrist, glancing down at his new friends' unconsious forms. As Rodrigo barked at him to hurry up and follow, he quickly nodded, sauntering towards his father. Rodrigo held up his Dark Ark of the Cosmos, creating a small rift that both jumped through, leaving Mighty and Ray behind. Cesare hesitated, shedding a tear for his fallen comrades as he stepped through.

"At least I could save you two," he whispered.

---

**Misfortune depleted by a simply act of kindness. Will Charmy and crew survive the next attackers, Lucrezia and Aliza? Will Rodrigo stake out his revenge? Stay tuned for the next Rogue's Bee! Please, review.**


	19. Subconscious Control

Characters © Respective Owners

---

Ch. 18: Subconscious Control

"Stop trying to climb on my back, Boss!" Storm shrieked, shoving Jet away with an aggravated tone.

"Ah, Storm!" Jet snickered, patting his right hand man's shoulder. "You're just so fun to tease."

"And you're abnormally little," Storm grunted.

Ignoring Storm's abrasive insult, Jet began speaking with Wave. Storm crossed his arms, seeming depressed over something, and I cocked my head at the grey avian. Half-lidded eyelids glazed a mist over his sea blue eyes like he was in a pitch black night running through an endless maze. He tried to keep his stern gaze at the ground, but kept swapping over to Jet and Wave sometimes. I was nearly tempted to just jab him in the face with my stinger, but the misery that haunted his soul kept me in place.

Just what was making him so gloomy? I tried to take in the factors of our surroundings first. The staircase was just as morbid as the first, brown steps that seemed like they belonged on a bridge. There was hardly any light, making it nearly visible impossible to see, but Wave was brilliant enough to bring a convenient flashlight. It cut a single beam of bright, whitish-yellow light through the pitch blackness. It seemed to hardly affect Storm, but that's when I recalled his fear of the dark was almost as bad as his fear of ghosts.

Jealousy! That was it! From the uneasy, envious glances he kept sending to Jet and Wave, it was certifiable that since Kiba broke up with him on Wave's wedding day, Storm was probably feeling left out in the love scene. I mean, Kiba trashed his heart without any reason any all. I was definite that it was finally sinking into his rather thick skull. Storm quietly sulked to himself, and I was the only one who understood his sadness. After all, I used to have a crush on Cream before Tails, mutant fox, came in and stole her away.

"So, everyone ready for Rodrigo's defeat?" Vector suddenly asked jubilantly, making Storm flicker to life.

"Heh, you got that right, Vector," Wave agreed, smirking. "Storm?"

"Huh? O-oh, right!" Storm stammered, nodding profusively.

Instead of trying to get anymore out of him, Wave faced Jet as he began to rant about how he was going to castrate the devious crow. Espio snickered at Jet's threats, muttering that he had to back up all of his yapping. The emerald hawk snarled at the magenta chameleon, ready to snap his neck off.

Wearily smiling, I faced away from them, and I was behind the group subconsciously. Pangs kept pounding away at my chest, and I desperately tried to keep my sudden weakness hidden. I didn't want to cause our troop to slow down at any cost, but with each new pace, it was like gravity was downsizing. It felt as though my body was getting smaller and weaker, but an undesirable, awkward lust stirred. For a few moments, I thought I felt someone's eyes probing the back of my head, and I quickly glanced over my shoulder. Nothing was there, but eerie, irrevocable darkness.

"Yo, Charmy, stop being so freaking paranoid, and get over here!" Vector commanded as they marched on the stairs.

"Oh, coming!" I called back, hurrying along as my wings pounded against the unchanged air. "Hey, Vector, by the way, what did you say to Cesare?"

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you that as well," Espio added intrigued by Vector.

The older crocodile smirked sagely as though he figured out how the universe really became what it is today. Staring up at the crystallized door ahead, he said, "What Cesare meant is that he isn't working for Rodrigo, but he's not a good guy either. He's like what Shadow was during the Space Colony ARK epidemic. I believe what lies under Cesare's aura is that he is on another faction's side."

The thought hadn't struck anyone from our shocked expressions. Everyone knew that Vector was a truly brilliant detective, no matter what any ignorant fool claimed. I nodded, affirming that his deductions were probably correct. After all, it was usually Vector who figured out the criminal in our cases even when everyone believed him to be just a rock music loving silly jock with a crush on an older woman.

"That…actually makes sense," Storm murmured with dilated eyes. "He wasn't really with Rodrigo or with us."

"One last thing," Vector proclaimed, tugging at his Light Ark of the Cosmos. He handed it to me as I placed it on my wrist. "I'm facing whoever is next!"

"It's Aliza," Wave recalled. "She was the one that was supposedly placed under mind control from Rodrigo to act as Lucrezia's servant."

"Why her though?" Jet asked.

She shrugged nonchalantly, shaking her head. The crystallized door came closer into view, showing that this time, the crystals were pink diamonds. They were exactly like the kind that was implanted onto Stream during the time she worked for Rodrigo with Bean and Cannon. Storm seemed to be dazed for a few moments, and I believed that he was recollecting the time his sister openly admitted to being in love with Cannon. Shaking off his thoughts, Storm assisted Vector in smashing the door down into rubble.

Instead of a dreary battle arena like before, there was a deserted desert with golden sand covering the area. Random cactuses were unevenly placed with the sloped area. A few wisps of a gentle breeze seemed to push out of no where, making me ponder if we were still in Rodrigo's tainted castle.

Whistling, Jet glanced up at the grey sky and made a visor with one of his hands, muttering, "This place is almost like Sand Ruins."

"That's because this place is an exact replica of Sand Ruins."

At the sound of the rapturous voice, a lone figure flapped her mighty wings from a dune a few yards away. Aliza the Dragon wasn't sporting her normal pink and silver attire, but a skin tight black jumpsuit with the symbol of Babylon on the back with her three silver markings on her forehead completely gone. Her pupils had gone white like her sclera that was void of any sort of emotion.

"Aliza the Dragon, I'll presume that Lucrezia is with you?" Wave snarled, gripping her wrench tightly.

"Thankfully, she isn't," Aliza bluntly replied. "Lord Rodrigo sent her up to wait with Sirin for reasons unknown. Though I do believe it was because he stated that I was "unreliable" in her guardianship. He trusted me to be her loyal retainer, her servant, but my potent position was stripped away."

"So, her slave is what you were," Jet jeered harshly with arrogantly crossed arms.

Instead of reacting foully, Aliza seemed to take the insult in stride like it was the greatest thing ever said to her face. Her sneer penetrated the very concept of devious, making me shudder at her widening smirk. Cracking his knuckles, Vector stepped forward, waving his finger at her tauntingly.

"Now, now, nice girls shouldn't work for a creepy bird like Rodrigo," Vector snickered, bobbing his head to whatever music he listened to in his headphones.

"Who said I'm a nice girl?" Aliza shot back, balling his hands into fists.

"Me." Vector pointed a finger at himself lazily. "I did, so whadda you gonna do?"

Rather taken back by Vector's brutish, arrogant actions, Aliza was stumped for a few moments. Shaking her head, she began to hover in the air, shrieking, "I'm gonna tear you apart!"

"You guys can scramble anytime you like," Vector ordered as Aliza came flying right at him. "I can handle the pretty dragon myself!"

"Understood," Espio calmly agreed, charging on ahead. "We haven't a moment to waste; let's go team!"

"Who the heck made _you_ team leader?!" Jet demanded, following him with Wave and Storm.

Pausing for a moment, I grinned back at Vector, shouting, "Good luck, Boss!"

Vector smirked back at me with his prideful nod. "Heh, you got it little buddy!"

With renewed vitality, I beamed blissfully at the crocodile's calming words. He always knew how to pump anyone up in their worst times with his kindness. As I flew towards the others at the end of the Sand Ruins' replicated desert, I craned my neck to watch as Vector snatched both of Aliza's fists seconds before impact. As both reptiles began battling it out, I scurried along after the Babylon Rogues and Espio. The chameleon in the latter seemed concerned for Vector as we strolled through another pink diamond door and sucked in a breath.

"Worried?" I asked.

"…Vector shall be fine," Espio assured not only me, but himself. "He has to be or I'll find his carcass and throw it in the nearest volcano."

Nodding eagerly, Storm smashed the door down as we hurried along up the stairs. Espio and I both hesitated to watch Vector's fight to see him throw Aliza onto the sand rather gently since she was a woman. Feeling that our presence was gone, Jet stomped back down at us, grabbing our arms to hurry us along. He stated that we were "dead weight" if we stood there any longer. Sighing, I grimaced as the door slammed shut mystically shut, and I could only fret about Vector's wellbeing.

Back with Vector, he was faring up rather well. Aliza was quick to take up the skies with her mighty wings, propelling gusts of wind by the very hovering push. Glaring at the sky, Vector cursed mildly as Aliza shot straight at him with a flurry of kicks. Being a bit of a chivalrous gentleman –this doesn't excuse hurting Amy and Cream four years ago, Vector- that he was, Vector simply ducked whatever came his way. However, Aliza soon caught onto him and elbowed the side of his head. Vector grunted, holding his head in pain as Aliza's knee jabbed directly into his snout.

Grumbling, Vector fell sideways onto the sand. The partially skilled detective pushed himself up with Aliza snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the sand began to form and shift like the ocean's never-ending waves. As Vector tried to stumble to his feet, the sand began to sink in, bringing the defenseless crocodile with him. He gasped, realizing what exactly was happening: it was quicksand. Clawing as the sand began to sink in farther, he couldn't find any stable support and sneered up at Aliza.

"Who's so humorous?" she demanded coldly. When Vector didn't answer, her agitation kept reaching until her climax like a volcano erupting. "Tell me what's so damn funny!"

"Just that you'd try and screw me over like this," Vector chortled as he relinquished his grip, finding it useless. His body soon began to sink even quicker like he was being devoured. "Sorry, but that's not gonna happen!"

"What?" she gasped. "It's quicksand for goodness' sake! Nobody can escape it!"

Reeling his head back, Vector spewed a ray of fire from the bottom of his throat. The sand caught in the flares instantly, slowly depleting the effects from the starving sand. Vector rummaged himself from the bare ground once all of the sand was completely away from his body. He grinned at Aliza's shock, dusting particles of sand off his body.

"Surprised, ain't ya?" Vector sniggered childishly.

"Like that'll matter," Aliza sneered. "I can defeat you anyway!"

Smirking, Vector raised his fists as Aliza came charging again. However, before she started up her flurry of strikes, she tried once more with a barrage of gusts as Vector winced. Though, he was prepared this time. Vector sucked a breath in and…started blowing bubbles of gum. Ten pieces of gum slowly swerved around her, and she burst into laughter at Vector's ploy. Jestingly, she slapped one of the bubbles away, but that proved to be one of her grandest mistakes. On contact, the bubble exploded which caused a chain reaction for the other nine. Explosions that Bean would've been envious of signed off, and Aliza yelped as smoke covered her vision. Frantically, she dived around in hope to escape the blasts, but managed to get caught in the last fiery one. Flopping to the ground, she grimaced as Vector caught her by her long tail, holding her in the air.

As she struggled by repeatedly smacking him over the head with her heel, Vector managed to shout between cries, "Will you- ow! -quit - ow! -kicking my- ow! -head! Ow!"

"Put me down," Aliza commanded sinisterly, "before I crack your head open with my heel."

"First, tell me why you're even working for Rodrigo," he ordered dominantly.

"Hmph! No!"

Frowning miserably, Vector noticed that as if by a stroke of miraculous luck, another pool of quicksand appeared a few feet away. Calmly, he strolled over to the quicksand, raising Aliza directly into the mouth as he carefully kept himself a safe distance away from the mouth. Her eyes widened in complete shock, shrilly screaming for Vector release her. Smirking wickedly, he hummed a tune to whatever music rang in his headphones, complexly ignorant to her cries.

"Stop resisting my question and _maybe_ I'll let ya go," Vector sneered.

"Fine, alright!" Aliza whined like a child. "What do you require to know?"

"Oh, just why you are even working for Rodrigo?" Vector harshly hissed as he dropped Aliza safely away from the quicksand. "It's you telling me, or I throw your pink butt in quicksand, and you might get sucked in if I don't care."

Her situation seemed to be hopeless as she sighed. Aliza grimaced, glaring at the golden sand as Vector's scarlet eyes narrowed onto her. Sucking down a breathe down her throat hardly, she kicked Vector straight in his no-no spot.

Sucks to be you, Vector.

As Vector hold on his private section, Aliza swooped up into the air and grasped some sort of controller. Vector got to his knees in accursed pain, mumbling every swear known to man, robots, and some species of Chao. Aliza flipped a switch that suddenly brought another quicksand portal opened up. This time, Vector was devoured as quickly as a shark mauling a group of schoolfish. While the crocodile sank through the unforgiving sand, his vision became blurred as particles of gold and tan filtered in. He desperately reached out, trying to find anything to grab hold of, but the sand just kept falling in. It was like being cemented in without any hope.

However, hope shined through like Wave's flashlight through the darkness. Aliza suddenly shot her hand out, grasping his slipping hand. Grunting, she flapped her wings ungracefully in the air as Vector's weight almost seemed too heavy to carry. With a mighty tug, she managed to throw him off to the side with him rolling over like a barrel down the side of a rash mountain. Rubbing his eyes, he snorted out sand that had gotten stuck in his nostrils. Spitting out sand, he turned to Aliza with a grateful smile.

"See? You're a good girl," Vector said joyfully. When Aliza didn't answer, he got to his feet and grasped the controller away from her. "You make quicksand holes with this contraption? Tails would like this."

"Yes, it does," she quickly responded monotonously. "You questioned my motives prior to this banter. Do you want to know now?"

"Absolutely," Vector muttered.

"Like my previous successors, Espio and Jet, I am under Rodrigo's control," she explained dryly. "However, because of my intelligence and loyalty, Rodrigo gave my senses and mind back. Yet, I cannot dream or sleep or eat or do anything anymore! He claims it is because of the Babylon Rogues, and that I was poisoned by one of them in the past. Rodrigo is looking for a cure for me! He's helping me!"

"That's…so stupid," Vector growled, hands balled into fists. "You think he'll keep his word?! He's a thief and a liar! You said it yourself that you were brainwashed by him! If you slip-up, you'll be back in that same position as Lucrezia's mindless servant!"

"But I just can't!" Aliza shrieked.

"Wake up. Otherwise, you'll die."

Vector outstretched his hand to her in a friendly gesture. What the detective claimed all purged her mind of any thought that seemed to revolve around Rodrigo's "kindheartedness". If she messed up, would she have gone back to being Lucrezia's bodyguard, a slave to a brat? Slowly, Aliza reached for Vector's hand before a senbon stabbed directly into her hand.

"You're defying your fate as Lucrezia's servant," Sirin the Sparrow snarled as he appeared from the door we entered through.

"F-forgive me, Master Sirin," she begged, almost sounding like a wail. "I-I promise I won't go against Lord Rodrigo!"

"A second chance," Sirin barked malevolently. "You wish for a second chance? I think not." Suddenly, Sirin reached into his cape, yanking out a dozen senbon. "The time has come for your reconciliation!"

"Leave her alone!" Vector roared, charging at Sirin.

"You are Charmy's father-like figure, Vector," Sirin stated as Vector launched his bubble gum bombs. "You, too, have paid the crime of betraying my lord. The punishment is clearly death."

Sirin launched half of his senbon at the closing in gum bombs, making them explode as he backflipped into the air. Safely from the sky, he searched for Vector and found him heaving his fire breath at him. Smirking, Sirin skillfully somersaulted away, landing behind Vector and with his perfect aim, chucked at least fifteen senbon into his back.

---

Back on the stairs, Espio's head twitched back to the door we left Vector behind in. A chill ran up my spine as he murmured something about going back to assist. Jet scoffed, insulting him by telling he was insane and that Vector would be okay. The Babylon Rogues seemed to pay no mind for Vector's well-being, and Espio and I gave each other worried looks.

"Think he's okay?" I meekly questioned.

"Hopefully, I get the feeling that Vector will be alright," Espio muttered somberly. "He is skilled, a detective prodigy since his childhood. I believe he'll be fine."

"If you think so, I think so!" I chirped happily.

Espio smiled as we trucked it up along with the others. After all, Vector was alright, right?

---

**OC HOUR (Since people demanded it!)**

**Starring: CHARMY AND RODRIGO**

**Charmy wakes up in a small, disclosed room. He is sitting on a marble floor with darkness around him. A spotlight appears on him, making him cringe.**

"**Yo, what is this?" he demands.**

**Suddenly, Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing" starts playing. Raising an eyeridge, Charmy slowly, horrifically turns to find Rodrigo suddenly embracing his back. **

"**I believe in miracles! You sexy thang!" Rodrigo poorly sang. "Where are you from? You sexy tha~ang!**

**Charmy was scarred for life and was soon placed in an asylum.**


	20. The Descendants pt 1

Characters © Respective Owners

---

Ch. 19: The Descendants pt 1

"It was easier than I expected," Sirin scoffed, kicking Vector's body. Recently, Sirin impaled Vector with fifteen senbon into his back after winning Aliza to his side. Facing the frightened dragon, his cold eyes narrowed onto her silver ones. "As for you-!"

"You'll leave her alone like I said already," Vector interposed, struggling to his feet.

"Vector, you're persistence is rather aggravating," Sirin mumbled, glaring at the wincing crocodile. "When you returned from death, you didn't embrace Lord Rodrigo's offer to come back to life, which caused his to weaker your powerful scales so my senbon could easily penetrate them. This means I can do this."

Siring slammed his boot onto Vector's back, stabbing the senbon in further. Wailing with pain, Vector flailed his mighty tail in a futile attempt to throw him off. Aliza tried to assist when a hand connected with the back of her neck. Gasping, she stumbled forward onto the golden sands, craning her neck to catch a glimpse of blond feathers and malicious cobalt eyes before her mind drifted into a vortex of darkness.

"Excellent job, Mistress Lucrezia," Sirin complimented.

"It was easy," Lucrezia sniggered. "Fools like her are hard to come by."

"Now to finish this one," Sirin growled, pulling a senbon out of his coat. Placing the needle weapon under Vector's neck, he was prepared to slice him open when a portal of darkness flourished.

Cesare sauntered out, arms crossed in annoyance. "Explain to me what you're doing?" he snapped.

"Ancestor, I was about to end this lowly aggravation's life," Sirin explained.

"Hey!" Vector cried indignantly, struggling weakly to crawl to his feet.

"Belay that, Sirin. Lucrezia, Father wants you to face your opponent by yourself," Cesare stated, ignoring Vector.

"Of course, I would be honored!" Lucrezia gushed.

"What of myself?" Sirin questioned in a monotonous, flat tone. "Lord Rodrigo never gave me orders to leave Mistress Lucrezia by herself." His eyes lowered menacingly, but Cesare didn't flinch. "Are you fibbing?"

"You ingrate!" Cesare roared; Vector and Lucrezia cringed at his forceful tone. "Who brought you out of the monastery you were faced to stay at as punishment for displeasing the Volpe's, the runners of the Lunar Tribe? I did, and you dare mock me?!"

Knowing he defied his place, Sirin quickly abided to one knee. "Forgive me, Ancestor, I meant no harm in questioning you."

"As you should be!" Lucrezia grunted, stepping into the portal. "I'm off, brother. I'll do my best to please you and our parents."

Smiling, Cesare nodded and watched his beloved sister stroll inside. Glancing at Vector, he ordered Sirin to release the detective, and the sparrow reluctantly obeyed. Noticing Aliza, Cesare ignored her unconscious form and faced his descendant again. Sirin remained motionless, pretending to busy himself by glowering at Vector.

"You're lucky," Sirin seethed shortly. "I have an odd feeling about Cesare and Lucrezia, but I cannot forget my duty. Farewell, Vector the Crocodile." With that, Siring strolled to a forming quicksand pile, hopping inside and vanished in a flash of yellow light.

---

The air grew colder with each step, and I was tempted to sneeze. On the other hand, Jet was a mess. He was never accustomed to freezing weather, frequently sneezing and sniffling. Storm wrapped his jacket tightly together, and he rubbed his bone-crushing hands together. Espio was being dragged along by the seabird, too cold to move on his own without assistance.

"H-h-how di-did it get s-s-so c-cold?" Wave stammered, breathing out puffs out clouds.

"It-it must be some s-sort of clue t-t-to our next de-destination," Espio concluded as I cuddled myself in Storm's jacket.

"S-somewhere cold, g-great," Jet stuttered before sneezing. "I hate this! W-who does Rodrigo think he is?!"

"A-a weatherman, a-apparently," Storm mumbled jokingly.

Nobody laughed. Thankfully, as icicles were ready to freeze Jet's mucus, another crystallized door appeared with icicles as the ornaments. Storm reeled backwards, slamming his fist into the door before it budged open. Ice showered from the impact, cutting through the air, and I shielded myself within Storm's jacket. Peering out my head out like a soldier in a trench, I was instantly shocked.

"Botanical Kingdom," Wave breathed. "This is the exact some spot where Jet saw Sonic and the others with the Red Ark."

Botanical Kingdom was once a resilient, beautiful artificial forest with trees as tall and mighty like skyscrapers. However, a blaring "winter" covered the dirt paths and tracks with crisp snow. For some strange reasons, there were massive snowmen with top hats and branches for arms and nose. My inner six-year-old burst out, and I immediately attempted to play in the snow, but Wave just _had_ to snatch my wings. Flailing around, I began crying out that I wanted to play.

"No, Charmy! In case you haven't realized, we're clearly in another of Rodrigo's traps, and I-!"

Wave was thankfully cut off by a snowball creaming her in the face. Floating away, I stared up at one of the snowmen, finding a blonde crow residing on the top hat with a fistful snow and a cold sneer. Lucrezia the Crow gaily waved to us and winked at Jet seductively. The hawk shivered, recoiling in disgust as he remembered making out with Lucrezia. Wave, already brandishing her Wrench O' Doom, screamed at her ancestor to get down.

Complying, Lucrezia took one step forward, falling to the ground. I was almost concerned until she landed on her knees. Wave made a snide comment of Lucrezia being in that position often, and I didn't understand it until Storm whispered it's meaning. Heck, I had to agree with her since her ancestor was a bit of a hussy. Brushing snow off her pale grey dress, she nearly stumbled in her sandals, and I pondered if Rodrigo was losing his marbles to send his clumsy daughter out. Lucrezia caught eyes with Jet before scowling at Wave. Their matching eyes locked onto each other like a sniper to his target.

"You're going to pay," Wave vowed vengefully. "Nobody kisses my fiancé and gets away with it."

"It was apart of the plan," Lucrezia countered maliciously.

"Wave, do you want to take her on by yourself?" Jet asked softly.

"It's a 'need', not a 'want', Jet," Wave replied with a smile, "and yes, I do."

Returning the grin, Jet quietly walked past her with us following. He hesitated at her side momentarily, whispering something to her. She beamed, kissing his cheek before hurrying him off. Storm, Espio and I sneered at the blushing hawk before he kicked Espio into the next crystallized door. Jet waited at the door's edge as Storm and I tried to calm the usually collected chameleon down from shaving Jet's feathers with his kunai. His stare was more like a gaze that he would never see her beauty again. I knew the exact same feeling since last time, I was by myself when facing Rodrigo at the tender age of eight. It's like your mind was going through different sets of emotions, unsure of how to react to a certain scenario. Jet gripped one of the crystals before Espio heaved him by his goggles, dragging him away. The door slammed behind us, locking instantly by itself, and Wave was inside with a madman's daughter who was nearly on the same level of insanity as her daddy.

"That wasn't called for, Espio," Jet hissed, removing his goggles and rubbed his forehead.

"Well, you should not have kicked me," Espio retorted. "Anyway, we better make haste and go forth to our next floors."

Jet glanced back at the door, ready to make another feeble excuse to assist his love. However, Storm grasped his shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze, reassuring Jet's faith in Wave's abilities. Sighing Jet reluctantly followed us upstairs.

---

The moment the door slammed shut, Wave snatched bomb charges she stored in her pocket and threw them at her ancestor. Lucrezia winced, hopping away as the explosions went off. Torrents of snow fell up into the air, swirling up like tainted white cyclones, but Wave charged straight through the snow, cutting it down to size with her wrench. Lucrezia flinched, weakly covering her face, but the wrench connected with her spine. Lucrezia shrieked, flying into one of the snowmen, embedding her lithe frame halfway. She slowly crawled out, but Wave's foot drew blood as it smashed right into her beak.

"Now, I usually never behave like such a barbarian, but after witnessing you kiss and possess my man…" Wave twirled her wrench in her hand, smirking. "…you can't win."

"H-hold it, p-please," Lucrezia pleaded, struggling to her feet as blood began to leak from her nostril. "C-can I g-get a word in?"

"No! What I saw was what a total prostitute for gain would do!" Wave accused.

"Talking was worth a shot," the crow grumbled to herself, "but I better get serious."

Lucrezia was shockingly fast in her sandals, bolting across the frozen tundra. Wave gripped her wrench with white knuckles underneath her gloves. Both of the avians charged at each other, intent on causing some serious damage. Lucrezia pulled out a steel pole from…her dress? That's not stripper-like, oh no. Their weapons clashed together, and they proceeded to match blows in unison. Wave ducked a near fatal blow to her head, but Lucrezia slammed her knee into her chin, and as the violet swallow sputtered, the crow smashed her pole into the back of her skull. Wave skid across the snow, her body wrapped in freezing agony, and she felt blood leave her nostril and the corners of her beak. Wiping it away, she snatched her wrench and used it as a support to stand. Though her entire body screamed at her to lie back down, Wave faced her enemy with new integrity.

"I hope you aren't too injured," Lucrezia sneered nonchalantly.

"You'll be in worse condition!" Wave roared, but her head began throbbing from the impact of the pole.

Lucrezia swaggered over to her, gripping the back of her neck, and Wave felt something dull suddenly jab into her stomach. Glancing down, she gasped as Lucrezia presented her Red Orb necklace. Snatching it, Wave shoved her backwards, and the swallow fell to her knees in shock. Quickly, she threw it on and glared daggers at Lucrezia, unsure of her true intentions.

"Why are you giving this back?" Wave demanded. "Is this some kind of pity?"

"Not at all, descendant," Lucrezia replied warmly. "Remember my half-brother, Cesare? Remember when he and Vector had that little chat before he fought the armadillo and flying rat?" When Wave nodded uncertainly, she continued, "I, too, am in his plan."

"Y-you! But, you…"

"I know, I kissed Jet, but it was a counter plan against Daddy," Lucrezia jeered, her face flushing pink at the memory. "You got yourself a little hottie of a hawk!"

"Yes, I established that when we first started dating, but tell me everything," Wave commanded.

Lucrezia nodded, sighing gently. "My dad was once a kind crow. He loved my mother, and I, but seemed to ignore Cesare. I was a very young girl, only three when we boarded the paradisiacal spaceship: Babylon Garden. They used Dad's Arks of the Cosmos as an engine unit to find a cleaner planet to live on. Dad was banished before this, but was brought back with my mom, Vannoza, to work as the technicians, but was under constant surveillance."

"Just how did Rodrigo get banished?" Wave inquired.

"Charmy and a few allies traveled back in time to kill my father, but if they did, an alternate reality would be created, and none of this would've ever happened. Maybe, by chance this is, you would not have fallen in love with Jet," Lucrezia admitted. "Um, are you okay? You're turning red."

She wasn't just going scarlet, she was _pissed_. If this adventure was a cartoon, steam would be pouring out of her ears. Lucrezia took a cautious step backwards as Wave cursed me out.

"How dare that godforsaken, brat, twerp, loser! This is his entire fault!" Wave screamed, followed by a slew of curses. "Everything is his fault!"

---

Back on the stairs, I felt strangely cold all of a sudden and sneezed.

"Bless you," Espio said quickly.

"Thanks, someone's talking about me," I muttered.

"Probably Rodrigo gushing over you," Jet suggested playfully.

"D-don't even say that, Boss! That's creepy!" Storm cried.

---

After Wave's mile long string of curses, she took a breathe to calm herself down. "I'm good."

"You sure?" Lucrezia questioned, stiff at her descendant's slew of swears.

Wave nodded. "I feel fine. Go ahead and continue."

"After my father crashed us onto this former mudball of a planet Earth, he killed himself, and somehow, Cesare had that demonic aura. Our tribe broke out into two clans: The Lunar Tribe, the ones who appreciated my father's work and hated the monarchy; The Solar Tribe, people who followed King Stolen and the Babylon Rogues' ways, but were fair and loyal. My mother went into a deep depression as the two tribes bantered for dominance in the colony of Babylon, and my brother's aura grew darker and evil, soon creating those hellish faces. It began to contaminate him, and as Cesare's final wish of his humanity, he asked me to take the Red Orb, which was filled with my father's works and plans, to the Solar Tribe. Soon, he lost his mind and waged brutal war against the Solars with the Lunars losing. I became a member of the Babylon Rogues, making me a traitor to my own defiled kind," Lucrezia concluded.

"That explains why I'm with Jet and Storm. When I find out I wasn't a member of their tribe, I almost flipped out and left." Wave glanced away miserably before sighing. "I guess I have to thank you. If you didn't betray the Lunars, I never would be with Jet. So thanks, I suppose."

Lucrezia nodded, smiling warmly. Glancing over her shoulder at a sudden grunting sound, she gasped in horror as a lone senbon skimmed by her shoulder, stabbing the snow with polished metal. Sirin stared at her in terror before snarling in outrage, and he leaped from the same snowman Lucrezia stood on when she pelted Wave with a snowball. Landing in front of them on one knee, he leered at Wave, driven with the intent of killing his half-sister. Wave, still in pain from Lucrezia's assault, kept a strong front, holding her wrench tightly in both hands. However, the end of the wrench was propped on the ground, exploiting her weakness in front of the corrupted sparrow.

"Twice you've betrayed Lord Rodrigo, Lucrezia," Sirin hissed. "Prepare for mutual death!"

---

As we were about a quarter of the way up the stairs with Jet and I happily sitting on Storm's broad shoulders, a pang of anxiety surged through Jet. The emerald hawk looked over his shoulder, gripping Storm's in distress. He stated that he just felt Wave in so much pain, and Storm nodded his head, seconding the notion. The Babylonian avians were ready to go back and help when Espio snatched Storm's hand.

"Hold on, allow me to help Wave," Espio suggested, bringing two fingers to his lips. "I sense something ahead that I am not part of."

"How can you be so certain, Espio?" Jet questioned, folding his arms.

Espio smirked as a response, aggravating them further. With his high-strung personality, I was used to the magenta chameleon's arrogance. Espio clapped his hands together, two fingers in the middle huddled together. In a flash of brilliant grey smoke, he had vanished.

"Sometimes I can't stand that guy!" Jet proclaimed angrily.

"Right, Boss," Storm agreed.

"Okay, Espio's got everything covered! Back on your shoulders, Storm!" I cheered, floating onto the albatross' shoulder.

"Oh, come on!" Storm groaned.

Slapping Storm's back, Jet pointed to the stairs, shouting again, "Hi-ho, Storm, away!"

"I want a raise!" Storm shrieked as he began racing up the stairs.

**---**

**OC HOUR**

**Starring: Damien, Rodrigo, Charmy, Marine and MOI**

"**Whoa, what?!" Damien cries, staring at the camera. "Where have we been? Uh, weird, and where's Gemini at?"**

**I walk behind the hound, catching his confused expression. "Gemini got eaten by that whale from Sonic Adventure. Go figure," came the blunt response before I left.**

"**Oh, okay. That makes perfect sense! Anyway, let's check in with our old pal, Rodrigo!" Damien announces, facing a monitor.**

"**Charmy!" Rodrigo screams, sitting at a long table with Marine at his side. "Where the hell is dinner at?"**

"**Yeah! Dinner!" Marine repeats, still in her Sailor Moon costume.**

**An angry Charmy zooms out wearing a maid's outfit with a matching, white fleece tiara. He is carrying two trays filled with food of many kinds from fruits to steak to wine. "I hate you," he growls to Rodrigo as Marine begins to stuff herself.**

"**I love you, too," Rodrigo coos softly, cupping Charmy's cheek.**

**Disturbed by that scene, Damien instantly shuts the monitor by smashing his fist into it. With wide eyes, he twitches and turns to the cameraman who has an equally frightened expression. "…Alright, so Rodrigo's an Orochimaru rip-off who wants Charmy like how Orochimaru wants Sasuke. Great."**

"**Love you, too, Damien," Rodrigo snickers from the window before running away.**

**  
Damien instantly faints after screaming, "I DON'T WANNA GET RAPED!"**

---

The ties of siblings are breaking. Can Wave and Espio defeat Sirin? What will happen to the remaining heroes? Can Damien recover from Rodrigo? That answer to that last one is HELL NO! See you next time on Rogue's Bee!


	21. The Descendants pt 2

Characters © Respective Owners

---

Ch. 20: The Descendants pt. 2

Sirin was a descendant of Cesare while Wave was of Lucrezia's loins. Even though her blood was Lunar, her mind, body, heart and soul belonged strictly to the Solars. However, Sirin was purely Lunar in mind, body, heart, soul, and blood. His entire being belonged to Rodrigo and his malicious techno-crazed tribe without any question. Lucrezia felt her heart pounding against her ribcage like it was smashing against a bass drum. The blonde crow trembled, holding her steel pole tightly to remain stationary.

From his cape, Sirin pulled out his senbon needles with the same sneer he inherited from his ancestor Rodrigo. "I've been dreaming of this moment, Wave, itching to abide my fate and kill you," he cooed malevolently.

"Don't even try me, Sirin," Wave hissed, wincing from her head injury.

"Try? I don't need to try. I never miss my mark," Sirin snickered.

"That's what she said," Lucrezia mumbled to herself.

As Sirin propelled his senbon forward, a lone kunai knife sliced through each one. For a few eerie seconds, the senbon remained still in the air before clattering to the snow in halves. Espio appeared in a brilliant cloud of grey smoke, uppercutting the scarred bird across his beak. Grappling to his feet, Sirin barely avoided the kick aimed at his head, but couldn't dodge the wrench sledge into his chest. Sirin's eyes widened in complete agony before he slumped to the ground in hissing pain. Wave, completely drained, almost collapsed to her knees from exhaustion.

"Thanks for the save, Espio," Wave panted as the chameleon assisted her back to her feet.

"It's no problem. I was glad to help," Espio replied with a courteous nod. "I just sensed that Sirin wouldn't be in his designated area, feeling him here. Rest, Wave, and leave him too me."

Grunting, Sirin hobbled to his feet, holding his chest. Gasping, he sputtered, "Then come on, ninja. Show me your skills, and let's see whose gear is faster: shuriken or senbon."

Wave nodded, grasping Lucrezia's hand as they quickly limped behind one of the skyscraper-like snowmen. Espio was about to question Lucrezia's motives, but quickly raised his forearm in the nick of time to block Sirin's heel. The fatalistic sparrow hurriedly lashed his fist as Espio's face, making the ninja detective move his head without seconds to lose. Sirin smirked deviously, grasping his neck with his free hand and began choking him. Surprisingly, he was stronger than he appeared, and Espio gasped down air, trying feebly to breathe.

Espio grimaced, deciding it was time to use his natural talents. He only resorted to those moves if he couldn't wrack his brain for any other possible solution. In a flick of his head, his long tongue suddenly grasped tightly around Sirin's wrist. Hissing in disgust as the slimy tendril slithered along his arms to his cape, Sirin gasped as his cape was suddenly flung over his eyes. Blinded, he released Espio and threw his ebony cape off eyes, back into position. Espio's tongue sucked back inside his mouth, and he began to rapidly spit.

"You're disgusting," Sirin moaned, horrifically gazing at his saliva covered arms.

"Believe me, my sister uses his tongue in several _other_ places, if you know what I mean," Espio scoffed. "I still can't comprehend why Tomo married Nack."

"Nack? I recall him, and I'm pretty positive you precisely remember when you allowed Lord Rodrigo access to harbor himself in your soul. Under your own free will, your consent, you almost took Nack's life," Sirin maliciously sneered. His features, usually morbid, stoic or enraged changed to a look that implicated Rodrigo's with the corners of his beak that stretched to their farthest extent. His cold orbs suddenly brewed with tainted insanity. "You're not as innocent as you appear, Espio!"

The ninja cringed, recoiling as the nightmare returned to his mind. Fear embodied his mind, circling around his head and ate away at his body. Espio willingly allowed nurturing to Rodrigo's soul until Cannon, Stream and Bean recovered his body and head from Babylon Garden. There, Rodrigo implanted half of his soul into Espio, and the other half in his body. His head was reattached by unknown means. As Espio regretted his heinous actions and recalled the gasps and jeers of horror from his allies, he could barely avoid the multiple senbon being thrown at him. As the needles sliced against his scales, Espio flipped backwards into the air and decided there was time to mourn later. The skilled ninja chucked several shuriken to counterattack the senbon.

Sirin hissed, knowing his senbon skills were growing redundant. Each senbon would attract a senbon like magnet to a nail. The sparrow decided that new methods would have to be used, some very cunning ways only he would accomplish. Sirin bolted past Espio when he landed, and he aimed his senbon at his the defenseless young ladies hiding behind the snowman.

"Die, sister! Pay for your crimes against the glorious Lunar Tribe! Fate is on our victorious side!" Sirin bellowed, his voice cracking in shrills.

"Wave, stay down!" Lucrezia screamed from behind the snowman.

Wave was already on her knees as the melancholy pain dripped and seeped into her bones. The weakened swallow fell onto her face, the blood from her nostrils blending the snow's white into a light red from her scarlet blood. Sirin unleashed his senbon in a flurry as Lucrezia snatched her pole and began rotating it like a helicopter propeller. Surprisingly enough, her swinging actually blocked the senbon from harming Wave. However, that didn't mean a few swung by and nailed her into her arms. Wincing, she dropped her pole and groaned in pain.

"Damn, Lucrezia can still fight," Sirin muttered, stopping his assault. "Good thing I weakened her."

"Stop talking to yourself! Your fight is with me, Sirin!" Espio roared. "I am your adversary!"

"You are just another pest I must eradicate," Sirin quipped ruefully.

"You sound like Omega, but come on, sparrow. Are you chicken?" Espio chortled coldly.

Not one to comply with insults, Sirin merely chuckled at the magenta chameleon's tactics of mockery. How old was he, five? Espio began to perform handsigns, but Sirin was already keen to his symbols, darting away on his Extreme Gear that he pulled out of his cape. As the final handsign was completed, Espio's grin widened in a victorious joy.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Espio cried.

Brilliant flashes of light grey smoke heaved through the air. Wave and Lucrezia ducked behind the snowman, just in case anything went wrong. Sirin's normally emotionless eyes ran cold with brittle shock. Nine copies of Espio stood around to real one likes soldiers in war by their admirable commander. What Sirin didn't like was that each one had the same expression as the real one: They were all smirking.

"Clones?" Sirin murmured almost fearfully. "You actually believe that some pathetic clones can defeat me?!"

"Exactly," the Espios replied in unison.

All at once, the Espios suddenly pulled thin wires from their belts, tossing them skillfully at Sirin's Extreme Gear, launching him back to the ground. Sirin yelped as his body made contact with the freezing, unforgiving snow. As the clones dismantled his Extreme Gear, the real Espio calmly strode up to him with a drawn kunai.

"Are you prepared to concede?" Espio suggested, twirling the ninja knife like an expert juggler.

"Never! Lord Rodrigo's reign with occur," Sirin insisted.

Espio kneeled in front of him, placing his kunai threateningly low at his neck. "I will ask you again: Do you give up?"

"No," Sirin spat, spitting at his feet. "I shall never be defeated by the arrogant likes of you!"

"You're just as blind as Cannon before he died!" Wave accused, stepping out of his snowman's giant shadow.

"Wave, get back into hiding with me!" Lucrezia fearfully commanded.

Ignoring her ancestor's warning, Wave carefully maneuvered towards her half-brother, using her wrench like an elderly man's cane. Sirin watched her, bug-eyed in hatred and slight fear at her intentions, but wondered what the genius swallow was plotting. Kneeling next to the sparrow, she said nothing at first, slowly bubbling up courage form her chest and sighed the rest up.

"Who do you think would win in the long run if Rodrigo lost?" she questioned slowly with closed eyes.

"He would not lose!" Sirin persisted.

"Answer the stupid question before I pound your idiotic skull into sludge with my wrench!" Wave shrieked.

"I…am not sure. I never doubted him or went against his word," Sirin admitted, but only because of her threat. "but there's absolutely no chance he could lose. It's written in fate that my ancestor would-!"

"Fate, fate, fate! Is that all you yammer on about? Give it up!" Wave screamed, slapping Sirin across his face. "Listen to me!" She grasped the sides of his face, pulling him close to her chest. "If I can control my fate, so can you, Sirin. Lucrezia went against her supposed fate because she knew it was wrong. If she hadn't, I never would be with Jet. I would never be happy without Jet, Storm, or even Charmy in my life. Fate is just a word, Sirin. Defy it."

Something among those words clicked in the realizing sparrow's mind. If Wave was joyful by going against her fate as a Lunar Rogue, how come he was so miserable by abiding faithfully to fate's will? He glanced at the ground, watching as Espio dispelled his clones and placed his kunai back into his glove compartments. Gulping, Sirin felt a genuine smile creep onto his face, but it was soon replaced with a sheer gasp of terror.

A portal appeared behind Lucrezia, and a scythe suddenly ruptured through her spine. Blood sputtered through the hole of the body, and the cold metal rested peacefully through its own carnage. The crow's cobalt eyes widened before heavy eyelids slammed shut for the final time. She flopped over dead onto the crimson snow as it spread even farther. Rodrigo stepped out of the portal, quietly removing his scythe with grief in his violet eyes.

"Sirin, what are you doing?" Rodrigo demanded slowly.

"A-ancestor!" Sirin stammered, galloping to his feet. "I was-!"

"I heard it all! Don't listen to them! They know nothing about fate, war, domination, or this world's insanity!" Rodrigo snapped, cutting him off. "Wave is a traitor, and so was my own…precious daughter. They must be eliminated promptly!"

"What kind of father would murder his own 'precious daughter'?!" Espio shot back, eyes never leaving Lucrezia's deceased body.

"The kind of father whose daughter betrayed him twice," Rodrigo malevolently cooed. "It was once in the past centuries ago, and now. Sirin, go and do as I command. Kill them already! I am your only lord and master, and I control your fate! You are nothing, without me!"

"B-but I…no, I have a better idea." Sirin ripped off his cape, symbolizing his loyalty to his insane ancestor and slapped it onto the ground. "I, Sirin the Sparrow, herby announce my defection of fate! I'm leading my own tale, Rodrigo. You cannot control me any longer."

Rodrigo growled, swinging his scythe haughtily. "You were like a smarter Cannon: loyal, emotionless and intelligent, but utterly weak in your soul. Your mother would be disappointed! I am glad she died during your birth, bastard!"

Sirin stamped his boot onto his cape, kicking it to Rodrigo. The devious crow snatched the cape, shredding it to pieces. Leaping back into the portal, Rodrigo grinned cruelly. Shivering, Sirin crossed his arms, helping Wave to her feet. Espio threw an enlarged shuriken at Rodrigo, but the portal vanished, and the star-shaped weapon cut through a massive snowman. Espio grimaced, catching it and folded it back up into his belt.

"Wave, I am so sorry," Sirin muttered sadly. "I was so focused on obeying him, I never thought for myself. When my mother died, I became cold and distant, thinking fate was my unchangeable guide." Sirin faced Espio with a quirky, unused grin. "Thank you for beating some sense into me."

"It's fine, but…" Espio's gaze shifted over to the deceased body of Lucrezia. "…she was on our side the entire time."

"Her and Cesare," Wave announced bemusedly.

"We must warn your friends," Sirin stated. "Their lives are in severe danger."

"Why? And don't say it is because of Rodrigo," Espio grimly replied.

"Worse, it's-Agh!" Sirin was suddenly pelted on his back with an energy ball of darkness, falling face forwards into the ground.

As Espio and Wave were about to react, the door that headed to the stairs slammed shut, locking them inside. Yet, the door was already shut, so who just left? A feminine cackling was heard, slowly strolling upstairs. They were trapped, and not even Espio's Teleportation Jutsu or Space/Time Jutsu could place them where they needed to be which was with their friends. Both of them gazed at the door before Sirin's groan attracted their frustrated, bemused thoughts.

"Sirin, who was that?" Espio frantically asked.

Sputtering, Sirin sat up, shaking his head. "I have only heard her voice, but never her face. She is Rodrigo's wife, Vannoza."

---

Psyko the Wolf's eyes shot open, and he leaped to his feet in his Nightmare World. His knives slowly caressed the pipes that surrounded his realm. His twin brother, Somatic, strode up to him with his machete in hand. An intruder was lurking somewhere; someone had actually managed to arrive into their Nightmare World, but he or she wasn't brought in because of Psyko.

"Well, well, the Wolf Twins," Cesare grinned warmly, jumping from one of the pipes.

"You?" Psyko blinked in confusion. "What was your name again? We met once, right?"

"Yeah, it's Cesare the Crow. We talked about the Babylon Rogues or something. I'm somewhat drunk, to be completely honest," Cesare admitted, holding a flask in his hand. Taking a quick swig, he added, "I need this."

"Issues much?" Somatic asked.

"Exactly! Anyone, I require your assistance," Cesare stated. "I have just lost my dear sister who was murdered by our father, Rodrigo. I need some new recruits, and I feel completely terrible about my loss. I want revenge now for two people, so, are you two in?"

Psyko and Somatic blinked at the somewhat drunk avian, recalling that birds can get drunk very easily like Rock Lee. Yeah, they're that bad; just watch Jet when he's stoned. Psyko slowly approached the slightly wasted crow with Somatic lagging behind. The greyish-black wolves sneered at Cesare, holding their weapons tightly as Psyko's gloved knives extended to his hand.

"You give us all the kinks of your plan, and we're in," Psyko grinned.

Cesare felt his spirits rise, and he huddled the twins together, exposing his plan. Perhaps, maybe there was a way to beat Rodrigo once and for all. If only he knew exactly what he was getting into.

---

Back with Wave, Espio and Sirin, they gave Lucrezia a proper burial underneath the snow. Sirin sat by one of snowmen, holding a small photograph in his hands where a young Cannon, Stream, Bean and himself were in a small sandbox. He was in a corner, glaring at Cannon as the other three played by making a king-sized sandcastle with Bean propping up at the top.

"You didn't like them?" Wave asked, trying to make conversation.

'I despised the faulty leadership skills Cannon had," Sirin replied sourly. "Yet, it saddens me now to know that he is dead."

"So, you didn't mourn him two years ago?" Espio questioned.

"No, I left the group prior to his death," Sirin revealed. "I was acting as the head monarch through a monastery because I received death threats, and my advisors urged me to go into hiding where I ruled in private."

"Anyway, we should try to escape," Espio suggested, taking control. "Is the door locked?"

"It shouldn't be from here," Sirin stated, gently pushing the door, but a sudden surge of electricity whip-lashed pain into his body. He fumbled backwards, but Espio caught his arm.

Espio unleashed a torrent of kunai at the door, disabling the electrical shock. Kicking the door down, he and Sirin gaped at the sight: The stairs were gone. Wave cursed at the top of her lungs, still using her wrench as a support. Sirin, aghast at the sight, stroked a hand through his seven crimson headfeathers. Espio removed one of his kunai, throwing it at the darkened corridors, but he could make out three specks of emerald, grey and yellow stripes.

"How can they be walking when there're no stairs?!" Espio cried.

"I can explain," Sirin stated. "Whenever the door leading to the stairs is shut, they become visible to those walking on them. They're here, but we can't see them. Espio came back, but whenever the door opens again, the stairs will vanish to anyone on this level. The people walking up it can see."

"Sirin, who's next?" Wave asked concernedly.

"Tagio Della Volpe," Sirin hissed. "Your albatross friend is fighting him, yes?"

"Yes, but is Tagio strong?" Espio inquired. "He seemed weaker than you or Aliza."

"Tagio's only strength is his swordsmanship," Sirin yawned. "I could easily crush him."

"Oh, good, Storm will be okay," Wave gratefully sighed, easing at his sentiment.

"What about Vannoza?" Espio questioned.

Sirin wracked his brain for any knowledge on her. He only knew that Vannoza's personality was angelic, intelligent, yet stern, and that she was Lucrezia's birth mother while acting as a step-mother to Cesare. That was all he knew, besides her manipulation over gravity which he revealed to them. They dropped the subject and began to brainstorm ideas how to help their friends, Espio continuously tried and failed his jutsus to transport them to the others.

Suddenly, two cloths clamped on Wave and Sirin's beak, effectively knocking them out. Espio snatched one of his cloths, and the stench of chloroform filtered in the air. A hand suddenly slapped Espio's neck, making him wince, and he slowly fell to his knees. His brain slowly fell asleep as his conscious slipped.

Psyko heaved Espio over his shoulder while Somatic collected the half siblings by their feathers. Pulling out a small two-way radio, Psyko pressed a red switch, saying, "Cesare, the birds and Espio are out cold."

"Great work," Cesare replied in a garbled voice due to static interference. "Bring them to the first floor, the Digital Dimension where they'll be safe. Mighty, Ray, Vector and Aliza are already there, making them safe. I-!" Cesare began to sputter, coughing like there was no end.

"Hey, is he alright?" Somatic asked cautiously.

"I don't have…much time left," Cesare grunted. "Please, do as I ask. Over and out."

With the link dead, Psyko shoved the radio into his jean pocket. Nodding his head, the duo entered a grey portal courtesy of Cesare that led to the Digital Dimension.

---

**Fate can't prevail under the warmth of believers. What is Cesare's plan? Who is the real Vannoza? Can Charmy, Jet and Storm defeat the rest of Rodrigo's faulty army? Find out next time in Rogue's Bee!**


	22. Reincarnation of Souls

Characters © Respective Owners

---

Ch. 21: Reincarnation of Souls

"I spy with my little eye…something…silver!" I cheered.

"The stairs," Storm and Jet answered simultaneously with annoyed expressions.

"Hey, how'd ya guess?" I inquired.

"Because the last fourteen times you spied something, it was the stairs!" Jet snapped angrily. "Just drop it, Charmy."

Shrugging, I just chuckled as I clung to Storm's headfeathers. For a few moments, I felt as though I were on top of the world, that nothing could even stop me. Glancing back over my shoulder, I wondered if Espio were okay since he previously teleported away to assist Wave. I felt strangely cold, but that feeling continuously probed my antennas like there was no end. Anxiety seemed like a logical reason, but I presumed that it was mostly fear gripping at my stinger. Subconsciously snatching at my scarlet kunai, I noticed that the lights had eerily dimmed.

"W-what's with the lights?" Storm stuttered, rather afraid of dark places.

"Something's wrong," Jet mused, snatching out his fans. "Get ready for anything!"

Grabbing my kunai, I hopped off Storm's shoulder, hovering in the air as my antennas began to twitch at soft, light footsteps breaching the stairs. Storm was the first notice the presence of a white light streaming elegantly from the britches of the crystallized staircase. A sun yellow swallow with a single head feather in a ponytail clung together by a silver ring wearing a white sundress with grey sandals began to ascend the steps. Her azure eyes were almost dead-looking with no shine in them like the rest of her appearance. Almost instantly I recognized her.

"Who the hell are you, lady?!" Jet demanded angrily, gripping his fans tightly. "If you're working for Rodrigo, I won't be light on you, even if you're a lady."

"Vannoza," I murmured, lowering my kunai.

Storm and Jet repeated her name in confusion, staring at each other. Vannoza the Swallow, lover to Rodrigo, simply grinned warmly at me. She gathered me in her arms, making me blush profusively as I was unsure of her intentions. She could be working with Rodrigo or just trying to find some sort of closure after what the demonic crow put her through.

"It's been a while, little flower," Vannoza kindly greeted, hugging me tightly.

"Flower?" Storm recited with a small chuckle. "Um, Vannoza, is it? He's a bee, not a flower."

"Oh, on Babylon we used to have a beautiful flower known as a Charmy that looked a lot like your little bee friend," Vannoza explained.

"A flower? That looked like him?" Jet snickered, stifling laughter. "That is the stupidest thing I ever heard! Ha ha!"

Vannoza suddenly produced one of the Charmy flowers in her hand with the yellow bulb and black markings. Storm and Jet were awestruck for a few moments before she tucked it into her hair. The swallow glanced back down at the stairs with an all-knowing grin present. Of course, the particular smile made me grimace in fear, wondering what her objectives were.

"How'd you come back?" I curiously asked.

"I died and came back to life, same as my children," Vannoza answered vaguely with a glaze over her eyes.

"But why though?" Storm questioned. "I mean, you're dead. Why come back to life?"

"Oh, that's a silly thought! I wanted to be reunited with my loved ones!" Vannoza replied in a condescending tone, laughing into her palm.

I guess superiority issues ran through the swallow bloodline. Storm and Jet exchanged confused gazes, watching Vannoza with interest. A sense of urgency suddenly ran dry throughout her features, and she ushered her to follow her back down the steps. Immediately, Jet refused, stating we had to find and defeat Rodrigo. Her eyes narrowed down on him, but she shook her head, commanding the hawk to follow her. Jet's arms crossed stubbornly, and Storm made no move to follow Vannoza, intent on staying with his precious boss.

"Guys, come on!" I urged. "Vannoza's not like Rodrigo! She's really cool when ya get to know her!"

"Oh, yeah, she's his lover or something," Storm snorted, imitating Jet by folding his arms obstinately. "Why should we even believe anything she says?"

"Because my daughter has just died," Vannoza stated morbidly.

"Lucrezia? She's dead?" Jet asked with hope in his eyes. "So, Wave and Espio are alright."

"Yes, but do you remember how Cesare wasn't on Rodrigo's side?" Vannoza questioned; we nodded. "She was in on the plan, too. Rodrigo murdered her."

"What?!" the three of us cried; Storm stammered most of it.

"Rodrigo killed his own child?" I whispered horrifically.

Vannoza nodded, wishing for us to follow her back down the stairs. At first, Jet and Storm were still skeptical, but quietly followed behind me. I noticed a few salty tears ran freely down her beak and onto her dress. She quickly wiped them, shaking her head and clapped her hands together. All of a sudden, a white door with a golden doorknob appeared with the symbol of the Babylon Rogues on top. The blonde swallow pressed the door open without even touching the knob, ushering us inside. Obediently, Storm, Jet and I hurried in with the hawk hesitating a few moments.

The new area was the lush floating paradise known as Angel Island. The ruins of the ancient echidna temples made purely of stone and other metals lay aloft at the center. Pulses of fragmented light jade energy beamed throughout the land, and Vannoza made her way towards the Master Emerald. We followed her, finding Knuckles asleep with Rouge at his side. It would've been cute if Knuckles wasn't drooling onto her large assets. Storm sniggered to himself, trying to resist bursting into laugher in case the guardian woke up.

The Master Emerald immediately stopped its resilient glow when Vannoza's hand caressed the top. Knuckles stirred in his sleep, turning his head directly onto Rouge's…chest. Yeah, he's tough. Suddenly, an image of Rodrigo appeared on the screen, making Vannoza smile while the three of us flinched in fear, but mostly anger. Clenching my fist around my kunai, I found myself almost stabbing the Master Emerald in vain to kill him.

"Just what the hell is this?" Jet hissed. "You're doing his dirty work, you witch!"

"Leave Vannoza out of this!" Rodrigo roared, and Tagio suddenly appeared at his side.

"Just what do you want?" Storm growled, glaring daggers at the copied falcon.

Rodrigo's sneer widened as he and I caught eyes. Putrid violet eyes divided against my amber ones, both lunging at each other with enmity. He was the first, surprisingly, to look away to Tagio, commanding him to find Cesare. Tagio nodded, whisking away once Rodrigo's sentence was finished.

Storm's rage was visible as his massive hands clenched together, and I could tell he was recollecting the time he fought his sister, Stream. When she revealed that she was in love with Cannon, he nearly thought his life over. The albatross exhaled a quick breathe, glaring back at Rodrigo.

"Angry from the loss of your beloved almost brother-in-law, Storm?" Rodrigo taunted, pointing a finger at the heaving seabird.

"You're the one that sentenced him to his death!" Storm screamed as Jet clasped his hand, shouting at him to calm down.

"Storm, stop it! Ya wanna wake Knuckles up?" Jet hissed, trying to control his friend.

Storm shook his head, lowering his hands in defeat. However, that didn't stop him from cursing Rodrigo out. Vannoza simply frowned at her lover, shaking her head negatively. Rodrigo shrugged, pulling out a small pair of glasses and placed them on his beak. I noticed that they were the exact same ones that he wore when he was eighteen in the past. He smirked at me, crossing his legs in victory.

"What does that look mean? If you think you won, you're dead wrong!" I vowed, clenching my teeth, grinding them in disdain.

"Oh, but we have so much in common," Rodrigo sinisterly retorted.

"Don't even say creepy things like that," Jet moaned, shaking his head in disgust.

"May I explain, love?" Vannoza requested, warmly beaming down at Rodrigo.

"Of course, Van," Rodrigo agreed, gesturing for her to continue. "In fact, I'm not entirely sure what you're doing."

Vannoza's head cracked as it narrowed at me. I cringed mentally, trying not to expose any fear so Rodrigo or Jet could mock me. Vannoza snatched my wrist, making me wince in pain as her nails suddenly dug into me. In retaliation, Storm grasped her arm, trying to pry her off, but a sudden blast of gravity levitated him and Jet into the air. Both of hovered there momentarily before they were thrown back onto the ground, remaining there as doses of gravity kept them stationary. I was about to try and help when Vannoza heaved me into the air, making me stare at Rodrigo in anger.

"You see, Charmy, you and my love are connected in more ways that you think," Vannoza cooed dangerously, gripping me tighter.

Rodrigo and I exchanged looks of intrigue. However, though his nervousness was clearly countered by annoyance, I could tell that Rodrigo had no idea what was coming. I pondered why Vannoza hadn't informed him. If they were truly in love, wouldn't she tell him everything? Isn't that what couples do in a loving relationship? I straightened in her grasp, trying to wriggle myself free, but I found it futile as she dug her nails in deeper. I was almost shocked that I wasn't bleeding yet.

"Can you get on with it?!" Jet shrieked, trying to pry himself free from the gravity. "My legs are falling asleep!"

"Y-yeah, same here," Storm admitted sheepishly, trying to raise himself from the ground.

"Silence! I'm trying to listen!" Rodrigo screamed, the Dark Gravity Ark glowing in a sickly grey color.

Suddenly, Storm and Jet were slammed back onto the ground. Both of them cried out in agony like rocks pelted them in open salted wounds. The avians glared over their shoulders to Rodrigo and Vannoza, and I just dangled their helplessly. That is, until I decided to use my own assets. I rammed my stinger into Vannoza's stomach, rendering her pain as she released me. Yelping, the swallow grasped her stomach in genuine pain, or it could've been great acting. Rodrigo leaped out of his chair, tempted to jump out of the Master Emerald and rip my entrails out with his talons.

"Let me finish, please," Vannoza pleaded, trying to hold back tears.

"Van, are you alright?" Rodrigo murmured, and he was instantly relieved when she nodded.

_Wow, I didn't think she'd actually get that badly hurt, she'd cry,_ I thought, feeling slightly guilty. Almost reluctantly, I apologized for my actions.

"It's alright, but can I please finish?" Vannoza requested haughtily.

"The floor is belongs to you," I jeered.

"Every one hundred years, a soul is reborn into another, but the personality traits of the past presence still linger which is known as a reincarnation of the previous life. Charmy's birthday is in March, right? The same goes for Rodrigo in months, and they were both born on the twenty-first," Vannoza explained coyly. Her grin grew broad, teeth gleaming almost wolfishly. "After my time in the heavens, I learned where Rodrigo's soul went."

"Don't tell me," Rodrigo groaned, apparently figuring it out.

"Charmy Bee, you are the reincarnation of Rodrigo the Crow," Vannoza announced.

Everything went dead silent. My constant buzzing stopped, and I actually flopped to the ground on my knees. Jet and Storm said nothing, but the gravity wore off, and they staggered to their feet. I grasped myself in a hug, trying to calm myself down. I was the reincarnation of Rodrigo? Of all people, Rodrigo?! My breathing became erratic as I trembled in my spot. Like a spotlight shunned me on a corny musical, I knew that I was alone in this. Nobody could compare themselves to me, only Rodrigo could because he shared the same soul.

Rodrigo's legs slammed back onto the ground, and he leaned forward, staring at me like I was an unknown creature he could dissect. Like me, he had lost control of his breathing. Inhaling sometimes, but he mostly held his breath until he gasped for oxygen. He stepped out of his chair, slowly pacing back and forth for a few moments, unsure of how to respond.

"You're kidding me," Jet muttered with absolute disgust.

Stopping my self pity, I instantly gazed up at him with dilated eyes. "W-what do you mean, Jet?"

"Don't give me that!" Jet roared. "This is your entire fault!"

"It's not my fault that I was born!" I retorted.

"Now I understand perfectly. You and him are connected by your soul, which means one thing: You'll turn into him! Right, Vannoza?" Jet snapped, glaring between Vannoza and I.

"Usually, the souls reiterate what the previous life has done," Vannoza added knowledgably, frightened at Jet's rising tone. "I think that-!"

"Shut up, girly! You!" Jet's head turned to my like a lawyer accusing a false victim of murder. "Oh, don't give me your innocent crap! You and him are exactly the same in heart, mind and soul. I think you'll never achieve your own humanity because all you do is live in his shadow. Killing him twice was probably only a commitment to stay on my good side!" The hawk brushed past me, shoving me onto the ground. "Come on, Storm, let's leave this traitor to rot!"

"…No."

My eyes, blurred by tears, glanced at Storm. He was defiantly angry, but that particular expression was reserved for someone like Tagio or even Wave when she bothered him to that extent. With his brows furrowed, Storm's hand remained clenched around his necklace as though he almost regretted going against Jet.

With a nervous chuckle, Jet turned around and faced Storm. A disbelieving grin remained on his beak as he asked, "What?"

"I said no," Storm repeated, standing his ground.

"You're joking, Storm," Jet insisted, his voice growing aggravated.

"How many times do I gotta say it? No!" Storm bellowed.

"You'd ally yourself with the reincarnate of Babylon's greatest villain instead of me?! Your leader and best friend?!" Storm almost seemed apologetic, but that's when Jet began to chuckle uneasily. "Now I remember, if you let Charmy die four years ago, we wouldn't be dealing with this! This is your fault, idiot!"

"You're blaming me?" Storm questioned in disbelief. Mimicking Jet's expression of mock amusement, he sneered in retaliation. "At least Charmy has a heart that was never contaminated unlike a certain _boss_ I know!"

"I was seduced!" Jet shrieked. "Just shut up, and follow me! That's all you're even good for anyway! Half the time, you screw up my orders and bring back something totally useless! You're not even worthy enough to be a Babylon Rogue!"

"That's harsh! Even I wouldn't go that far!" Rodrigo interposed.

"Who cares about you?" Jet scoffed.

"Th-that's what you really think? It's the exact same stuff you said when you were being controlled by Rodrigo!" Storm screamed. "You think you're so innocent, but you're not! I'd be proud to side with Charmy than you any day!"

Hot blue eyes meshed as their words clashed. Neither avians wanted to allow the other the pleasure of watching him cringe as their insults flew. However, Storm got the last word, and Jet fell completely silent. The emerald hued hawk kept his eyes stationary on the temple's stairs before shifting his gaze to the sleeping Knuckles and Rouge. How did they sleep through the screaming? I mean, come on! Jet's broad shoulders uneasily slumped before stiffening. Turning back, Jet said the worst sentence ever that etched onto Storm's heart.

"You're fired, and I never want to see you ever again, so when we go back to the airship, you're getting all your junk and leaving," Jet commanded, sauntering back to the door. "I'm going to kill you, Rodrigo, for doing this to me."

With those cruel words, Jet bashed the door open with his foot and began dashing up the stairs. Storm just froze, eyes wide with tears starting to spring up into his eyes. This was all my fault that Storm just got fired. It wasn't fair to him that his loss was on my life. Storm quickly dried his eyes, sniffling into his arm. Gazing down at me as I tried to sputter an apology, he placed a comforting hand on my helmet.

"I-I'll take care of Tagio, okay? Y-you can win, Charmy," Storm gasped, trying to shake off his tears.

"I'm so sorry!" I wailed, starting to cry myself as Storm made his way to the door. "Please, Storm, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I hate this and myself for doing this to you! You've always been there to comfort me and love me like a brother! I'm sorry!"

"Y-you shouldn't be," Storm replied without turning around as he walked down the steps. "Just knock some sense into Jet okay? I really don't want to leave him."

Nodding, I watched as the greatest man who ever lived somberly left the replication of Angel Island. I collapsed back to my knees, sobbing into my hands. Rodrigo didn't say anything spiteful, but placed his head in his hands. Vannoza hugged me from behind, slowly rocking my like a mother would to her weeping child.

"H-how could Jet do s-something like t-that?" I stammered through my sobs. "Storm was o-only p-protecting me."

"It's cruel, even to me," Rodrigo admitted, eyelids lowering. "Charmy, do you remember that proposition I made to you two years ago?"

"The one where you asked me to dance around naked?" I questioned.

"What?!" Vannoza cried indignantly.

"That wasn't to you! That was in my diary, and I was hoping to get Rouge to do that" Rodrigo shrieked. He caught eyes with Vannoza, covering his beak instantly. "Oh, damnit!"

"We'll scream about this later!" Vannoza shouted, jabbing an accusing finger that him.

"My proposition was about getting revenge on those accursed Babylon Rogues," Rodrigo stated, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment from the swallow. "Are you in? We can work together, get revenge for not only myself, but for Storm. I realize that I've gone you the wrong way, thinking we were enemies, but we're closer than I ever knew. Do we have a deal, Charmy?"

I stared up at Rodrigo, and it was like a mirror. As though my eyes decided to show the inner darkness of my own soul, or I should say Rodrigo's soul. There was a version of me with grey fur that overlapped my former yellow stripes, and my orange flamed wrists became white. My bangs became yellow while my eyes turned into Rodrigo: violet and had a tiny slit in them. The only expression he seemed to make was raw insanity with a hint of diabolical anger with his smirk and eyes. Shivering at the entity of myself, I removed myself from Vannoza and darted towards the door she created.

"You're not on Angel Island, right?" Rodrigo asked as I ran off. "If you are, Knuckles and Rouge are some seriously heavy sleepers."

"No, it's a recreation like the Botanical Kingdom," Vannoza reported. "Speaking of Rouge…"

"Oh, damnit!"

---

**A soul of tyranny lives on through new generations. Can Charmy face his inner demons? Will he join Rodrigo in crushing the Babylon Rogues? Will Jet and Storm get their friendship back or is all lost between them? Find out in the next Rogue's Bee!**


	23. Babylon Brothers

Characters © Respective Owners

---

Ch. 22: Babylon Brothers

Jet bolted up the stairs, his legs pounding harshly against each step. Rage had consumed his vision again, and it might have cost him his best friend, his right hand man. Snorting, Jet had come to realize that his and Storm's argument was completely pointless. It was all Charmy's fault, not his. Why would Storm even defend that…that fiend? That incarnate of absolute evil? The sensibility of that was hardly reasonable in his mind. If Storm were to take a side, it would be with him.

Though, Storm's words bothered him greatly. How could he go against him, his boss? Not to mention, his best friend? Storm never went against him, well, there were exceptions but he was under Rodrigo's influence at the time, and Storm was only assisting in his freedom. Petulantly muttering cursing, Jet slammed his fists together and grunted furiously.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Jet asked aloud, too stubborn to conceal his anger. "Of all the lousy times for Storm to go against me…he never did this before! I don't understand. It makes no sense for him to side with Charmy. It's that entire little brat's fault!"

"Talking to yourself is an extremely bad habit, you know."

The voice startled Jet, and he whirled around a step with his fans in hand. Tagio Della Volpe stood before him with a cunning glower that the hawk easily matched. The fake falcon drew his longsword, aiming it at Jet's forehead. Tagio stood a few steps below Jet on the stairs, seeming to give him the advantage. One false step, and they would tumble to their fate. Tagio smirked confidently, rotating his wrist tauntingly.

"A fight with the stupid albatross? It must be hard to keep your pawns intact, little prince," he sneered.

"Shut up! Storm is-"

"-your friend? Ha! This is why Master Cesare is a splendid leader, he shows no compassion! My master would easily defeat you," Tagio jeered.

"You speak so highly of him. What are you, in love with him?" Jet sneered, chuckling into his feathered fan.

"Well, I wait until he's drunk enough to actually…" Noticing Jet's horrified expression, Tagio's face reddened in shock of his revelation before shaking his head. "You made me say that! Prepare for your doom!"

"That line is so generic!"

Tagio suddenly launched towards the Babylonian prince. Slashing wildly, he aimed for his mid-section, but Jet skillfully slashed his fans toward. A rapid, but small tornado formed, crashing into Tagio and sending him flying backwards, but the avian swordsman stabbed his sword into the steps and halted in mid-air. Hovering there, Tagio's eyes narrowed to slits as the wind subsided. Sliding down his sword, Tagio quickly ripped it out as Jet charged. Roaring out, the jade bird slashed his fans to Tagio's head. One connected, and Tagio stumbled off the edge of the stairs.

Panic fell on him in a swept loop. Jet looked over the edge immediately, but found no orange speck descending to impending death. Curiosity breached him as he leaned over the edge, squinting feebly to try and see if Tagio was really gone. Jet instantly wished that he hadn't.

A kick to the head jolted him to reality. Gravity subdued him as he fell over the side, shouting in horror. Snatching the edge of the stairs, Jet panted deeply as his life literally hung on the balance. Looking up as he tried to pull himself up, Jet's teal orbs met Tagio's tainted emerald ones. Tagio smirked, his longsword poised at his side like a walking cane.

"H-how did you survive? You fell," Jet demanded hoarsely, head throbbing.

"I stuck my sword into the bottom of the steps at the last second. If I hadn't, I would've been a goner," Tagio explained cruelly. "Though, it seems the role has been reversed, Prince Jet. Nice knowing you, you and your flawed monarchy."

Tagio rammed his boot onto Jet's hand, and the hawk screeched. Thinking his fingers had been broken, Jet twisted and moaned in pain. Tagio increased pressure, pleasured by the sounds of Jet's tortured hollers. The falcon glanced to the darkened ceiling, finding immense joy at the sick torment.

"That's right, scream! Nobody can save you now!" Tagio shrieked insanely. "Goodbye!"

"Jet!"

They both looked over to find Storm standing there, drenched in sweat from running and panting. Horror flashed in his eyes before anger exchanged emotions. Clenching his massive fists, he was about to attack when Tagio raised his hand.

"Move another step, and I release my foot. When that happens, Jet will fall to his death," Tagio informed. "Oh, wait, that's right. Storm, you don't care, do you? You never honestly gave a damn about this idiot, right? Lord Rodrigo told me everything. It was rather delicious to hear that you two buffoons fight it out. Over something so trivial and childish, really. Honestly, I would have followed my leader, Storm, if I were you."

"Jet didn't have a reason to blame Charmy for everything," Storm countered, "but let him go!"

"Let him go? Oh, so he can plunge to his death? Okay." Tagio shrugged lackadaisically, sluggishly moving his foot backwards.

"No!" Storm shrieked, and Tagio quickly smashed his foot back onto Jet's fingers.

The hawk squawked, "Just get the hell outta here, Storm! I can handle this myself! Why don't you bother Charmy or something? You obviously love him more!"

Storm winced, looking down at his feet. Slowly, he began to turn around and walk away, but stopped. Jet was his boss, his leader. Even if he didn't want him around, he would have to get used to it. The flames on his wrists symbolized a loyalty to Jet greater than anyone's. He deeply loved Jet like a brother.

Yet…were Jet's words true? Was he really just a burden to him and the Babylon Rogues? The mere thought caused him to shudder and silently whimper. Taking a gasp, he suddenly punched Tagio across the face and snatched Jet's fingers with his other hand before they were out of reach.

"You…saved me," Jet quietly stated, eyes dilated in shock. "E-even after I said all of those terrible things to you, you still came…"

"You're my friend Jet, even if you don't want me to be," Storm replied earnestly. "Sometimes you can be a self-centered, stuck-up bastard, but I still see the good inside of you. That cocky and fun-loving guy who is not only best friend and boss, but like my little brother. That's the Jet I want to protect with my life."

Silently gasping, Jet stared up at his friend for the longest time. In his youth, Jet felt as though Storm's eyes were sometimes scary to look at, but now they were filled with loving, caring warmth. His could feel tears start to blur his vision, but his pride suddenly swooped in as he gaped. A small, open-mouthed grin squirmed on his face as Storm began to pull him up, but the moment was instantly destroyed.

"Do you know what they call albatrosses? They are nothing but burdens!" Tagio roared, scrambling behind Storm with his sword. In a swift movement, Tagio slammed his sword straight into the back of Storm's right shoulder.

His eyes widened in shock, crying out weakly as the sword stabbed into the core of his bone. His arm shook dangerously, threatening to release Jet, but snatched his friend's hand and dragged him up with the lost strength in his arm. Storm groaned weakly as Jet snatched his fans and cut Tagio away from his friend. Tagio's sword fell out of Storm's shoulder as the albatross covered his wound. Blood dripped along his back as he desperately tried to find some sort of closing for the stab.

"St-Storm," Jet stammered, at a complete lost for words.

"Perfect," Tagio muttered, staggering to his feet. Raising his wrist to his beak, he quietly spoke into it. "Lord Rodrigo, the wound has been set, but it's on Storm the Albatross. Is that a problem?"

"No, it isn't," Rodrigo stated, his voice crackling from a bracelet-like communicator cleverly disguised under Tagio's glove. Suddenly, a portal opened beside the falcon, and Rodrigo stepped out with a large, demonic smirk. "In fact, it's even better than what I originally had planned."

"Thank you, my lord," Tagio stated, bowing his head.

"Well, look at how the mighty have fallen. Tagio, take care of Jet while I assist his bumbling friend. Oh, wait, Jet thinks of Storm as no more than a nuisance, right?" Rodrigo jabbed.

"Shut up, you monsters," Jet snarled quietly, his vision coated with red.

"Oh, who are you going to blame this time for your mistakes, Jet? The invisible Charmy? Your damned father or mother? Humor me," Rodrigo snickered.

Before Jet spat back, Tagio instantly snatched his shoulders and slammed his head against the steps. Jet grunted on impact, struggling to free himself, but Tagio twisted his body around and ripped his arms backwards, forcing him to a sitting position. The fingers in his right hand twitched, and Jet sighed in relief that they weren't broken, but felt as though a ton of bricks slammed onto them.

Storm glared over to Rodrigo, sending a punching to the crow's forehead, but Rodrigo simply leaped over him. Sending a roundhouse kick to his head, Storm toppled down the stairs until Rodrigo darted after him and snatched his necklace. Gasping, Storm struggled to free himself as Jet weakly called out to him. Rodrigo slammed his boot onto his head, forcing him down. From his white cloak, Rodrigo rummaged with a thoughtful expression before brightening. Yanking out a small, white pill he met Storm's nervous eyes with blunt happiness.

"So, I'm pretty sure you could understand the pain sufferable through mind control. Works wonders really for me and my crew," Rodrigo explained casually, patting Storm's head. "Now, don't move."

"W-w-what are you-?" Storm stuttered, losing his ability to speak.

"Your body, mind and soul now belong to me," Rodrigo hissed venomously into his ear.

"Storm!" Jet cried, finally getting his tongue to work.

"Have fun as my latest pawn!" Rodrigo slipped the pill into Storm's wound, stabbing his fingers into his wound as the albatross cringed at his violating touch.

Oh, nice, now Rodrigo's into twenty-three-year-old men. Next, he'll actually be into women. Imagine that.

Rodrigo flipped off of Storm as ordered Tagio to release Jet. The hawk bolted past Rodrigo, screaming out to his friend. Storm suddenly twitched, convulsions wracking his entire powerful frame. His breathing quickened as he snatched his head, fingers digging into his skull as he released weak cries. Panic swelled and glazed over his vision, breathing heavily like the weight of the world was nearly flattening him. At this point, Storm wished it was. Pain surged through his body, stabbing him with the force of lightning bolts. Guttural noises wrenched free from his throat as twisted white flames started appearing on his wrists, banishing his prideful black ones. His conscious starting drifting back and forth between reality and dreamland, but then there was nothing.

"…Storm?" Jet questioned quietly as the albatross fell silent. Kneeling down to him, he shook his shoulder before repeating his name forcefully.

Storm slowly got to his knees, rocking backwards before sitting. Jet's eyes widened in fear as he shook his shoulder, noticing that the wound was slowly repairing itself. Feathers were freshened and renewed, growing over the loss of tissue as he grunted. His right shoulder blade snapped, rearranging itself so that it was fixed. Suddenly, a wicked sneer curved away at Storm's beak as he glowered to Jet. The hawk inched backwards in surprise, staring at his once peaceful eyes: They had turned a devastatingly poisoned violet with fully black sclera. Storm rammed his fist into Jet's face without a second thought, sending the Babylon Rogues' leader against the stairs in front of Rodrigo and Tagio.

"Tagio, make sure they kill each other," Rodrigo stated. Lowering his voice, he sneered and whispered, "I don't want anymore loose ends. After all, I'm sure Charmy will have fun dealing with Wave."

Creating a portal, Rodrigo stepped inside where a vase was soon thrown out of the portal. Tagio peered inside to find the crow screaming and running for his life from Vannoza's rage. Hell, all he wanted was to see Rouge naked. Any normal anthro-animal-Mobian-Babylonian-whatever the hell Sega calls the Sonic cast would want that. Oh, wait, except Rodrigo chases after Charmy and Tails in another universe. Guess he swings both ways.

Tagio nodded, bowing courteously as the portal closed. Annoyance flashed along his face as he mimicked Rodrigo in a high voice. "Tagio, make sure they kill each other. Fool, only Master Cesare has the right to rule over Babylon. Still, he is the one in control for now and pulls at my strings." Facing Storm, he ordered, "You heard your master, albatross. Kill the hawk!"

"Storm's under Rodrigo's control?" Jet demanded in a voice octaves higher than normal, barely avoiding a punch to the fist by scrambling to his feet.

"Yes, the pill in his bloodstream has dissolved and will spread to his body. Once his blood has been fully infected, Storm will be loyal to only the Lunars," Tagio informed. "A brilliant plan, actually. Watching you two slaughter each other will be most amusing."

"Amuse this!" Jet screamed, snatching his fallen fans and swiping them at Tagio.

Tagio barely managed to dodge, but one sliced his face. A thin line of blood slowly trailed down his cheek, and the fake falcon fumed inwardly. Pointing a finger at Jet, he climbed the stairs backpedaling and shouted for Storm to attack.

Storm nodded, cracking his massive knuckles. The bone snapping crunched in Jet's ears as his vision failed him when the mass of grey feathers moved closer. Jet froze, knowing that in his current state, he wouldn't be able to harm Storm. The albatross' words rang in his head, and he grimaced, but held his fans up high to show some sort of defense. Storm struck Jet on his right temple, sending him backwards and horrified. Stumbling on the steps, Jet couldn't manage to set his feet straight as Storm's other fist crumbled into his abdomen. Heaving a tensed breathe, Jet gasped as the pain delved into his core, and he slid off Storm's fist. Falling to his knees, Jet dropped his fans and held his body in agony. Glancing up to Storm weakly as the albatross narrowed his tainted eyes at him, he distinctively heard Tagio's sniggering.

"I have a pleasing idea," the falcon stated bemusedly, watching Jet writhe. In his boot, he pulled out another small pill, this one black in color. "I always loved bets and the thrill of chance. If you somehow manage to break Rodrigo's mind control in Storm and defeat me, you will be rewarded with the antidote pill. If you fail to complete this task, your fates are sealed. Have we got a deal?"

Jet coughed, spitting up blood from the punch. "Bring it, you cheap rip-off of Cannon."

"Storm, attack!" Tagio commanded.

Before Storm could move, Jet pushed himself off the ground and staggered in front of him. Glaring into those eyes that never belonged to his best friend, Jet slammed his knee into Storm's chest, but to the albatross it felt like being hit with a pound weight ball. Grunting, Storm grasped the lithe hawk's leg and slammed him into the ground. Storm hovered over him, his fist held into the air ready to strike. Jet weakly gazed at his friend, voice wavering as he began to speak.

"Storm…please, it's me Jet. Don't you recognize me?" Jet pleaded, beginning to feel the warm tears prop up in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blamed you for my accusations. I was just so…angry at myself, at the world. I didn't mean anything I said back there with Rodrigo, Vannoza and Charmy. You're my best friend, my brother. Storm, you're still in there! You didn't give up on me, so I'm not giving up on you!" Jet leaped to his feet, snatching the stunned albatross' fist and forcing him to the ground. Holding his wrists down, Jet stared directly into Storm's eyes, but this time, the tears were visible. "If I lose you, who will torture Wave with me when she grates on our nerves? Who'll go on panty raids with me? Storm, when I was being controlled by Rodrigo, you helped me free myself! Let me help you!"

Storm froze, breathing deeply as their faces grew closer. A teardrop left Jet's eye and landed on the side of his face. Storm winced, shutting his eyes tightly as Jet wiped his salty tears away and sniffled. The grey avian groaned softly, and Jet sat on his chest, staring down at him with an incredulous stare. The sclera around his eyes changed back to white with the black outer rims, but his eyes remained a mix between evil violet and pure blue.

"It seems you have broken some control over him," Tagio stated, holding the pill. "Yet, he is still under Rodrigo's control, which means he does exactly as I say because I am a servant of the lord. Now, Storm, break his neck!"

Storm slowly sat up, Jet still on his lap. Staring down at him, Storm suddenly picked Jet up by his feathers and gently set him down. Tagio gasped as the albatross sullenly approached him and glared down at him. His eyes were glazed, almost confused if Storm hadn't lowered his head so their eyes would match.

"You know, I am getting sick and tired of you bossing me around. Only one person is the boss of me," Storm hissed, wrapping his hand around Tagio's throat.

With a flick of his wrist and tightening of his fingers, an audible _crack!_ broke the ill tension. Tagio's eyes fell lifeless as he flopped to the floor once Storm released him. Taking the pill off the floor, Storm popped it into his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut and swallowed. Silence passed as Jet breathed heavily, concerned about his friend's well-being.

"Ew, that tasted like medicine, and not the good kind," Storm whined, looking over to Jet with bright blue eyes and black-flamed wrists.

"Storm!" Jet cheered, suddenly tackling his friend to the ground and wrapped his arms around his neck. "You're not brain-washed anymore! You're back! You're back!"

"H-hey!" Storm stuttered, flustered over his leader's actions. Turning red, he awkwardly hugged the eighteen-year-old prince back tightly and let the tender moment come. "So, you really meant all of those things?"

"Every single one of them," Jet admitted, releasing Storm from his death grip. "Really, I'm sorry, Storm. I shouldn't have gone and blamed you for taking sides. I can't expect you to always go with what I say. You have a mind of your own."

"It's okay, Boss. I'm sorry, too. I said some pretty nasty stuff back there with you being like how you were when brainwashed," Storm replied earnestly, patting his friend's shoulder. "I'm just glad we got all of that cleared up."

Jet smiled before turning to Tagio's corpse. "So, what to do with him? Can't believe you snapped his neck like that. Good work, and…you called me Boss?"

"Um, y-yeah, I always do…unless, you don't want me to anymore…"

"No, it's the name you gave me, so I always loved it. Besides, I just got this great idea on dealing with this dead guy. Grab his legs."

Storm snatched Tagio's legs while Jet grabbed his arms. Instantly once Storm caught Jet's gleaming eyes, he knew where this was headed. Both of them began swinging in time, counting to three slowly. Once on the three, they threw their arms out and watched as Tagio's body became an orange, glistening speck that succumbed to the darkness centuries ago, and history repeated his actions. Both of them laughed, humored at their deed as Storm suddenly smacked Jet on the back, and the hawk lost balance, tripping over the edge. Storm yelped, catching his boss at the waist and dragged him back up.

"…Pay deduction," Jet simply stated.

"…You haven't paid me in the past…" Storm paused, counting his fingers. "Two and a half years. Where's my money, Boss?"

Jet opened his beak to speak before realization hit him. He hardly ever paid Storm, and when he did, it was usually in Extreme Gear parts for Wave to fix his board. Jet grinned weakly before dashing up the stairs, begging for Storm not to kill him.

"Hey! You little cheap bastard! Give me my overdue wages!" Storm screamed, charging up the stairs after him.

"Don't kill me!" Jet cried, silently praying to the Babylonian gods above. "I'll pay you next week!"

"You say that every week!" Storm argued.

"…Oh yeah! Next week then! I promise!"

"Boss!"

---

EDIT: 10/5/09.

Totally changed this from the original RB chapter, but if you preferred the trials, that chapter is still up on my DA page.

Oh, and that was my JetStorm shipping for the series. X3


	24. Impure Hearts

Characters © Respective Owners

---

Ch. 23: Impure Hearts

"Agh! What the hell is wrong with my eye?!"

My head bolted upwards, hitting a roof of some sorts. I had somehow fallen unconscious while with Rodrigo and Vannoza after Storm and Jet fought over me. I groaned, rubbing my head and stared out into the room. I was trapped in a clear orb just big enough to stretch my arms and legs in. The room was like a science fair gone wrong with tubes injecting oxygen into my circular prison. Wires connected to several monitors like a security hall with dim lights that gleamed off the metal contraptions.

Vannoza was holding a mirror to Rodrigo's face, and the crow seemed to be distressed. Gripping at his face, he placed two fingers at his left eye, stretching it open. Straining my eyes, I couldn't understand why the crow was making stupid faces in the mirror. After all, he was supposed to be some type of evil genius.

"It's not that bad, Rodrigo, hardly noticeable," Vannoza weakly urged, trying to sound honest.

"My eye looks like his!" Rodrigo screamed, aiming an angry finger at me. Glaring back at me, he blinked at me before his eyes went wide. "His eyes are different, too? Van, what's going on?"

"What are you talking about?" I inquired angrily. "Did you two do any mutations or crazy experiments on me?"

"No," Vannoza murmured, coming towards me with the mirror. "You may want to take a glance at your reflection. It may shock you, so please don't freak out."

Yeah, that's some comforting request. Leaning forward, I blinked confusedly at my reflection before my eyes widened in fear: My right eye was amber while my left eye was violet with a tiny black slit for the pupil. Staring over to Rodrigo, I found him with _my_ amber eye in his left orb. Shrieking, I fell onto my bottom, holding my eye in misery and fear. I even attempted to poke my eye out, which resulted in unneeded pain.

"Ow! W-what's going on?!" I wailed.

Rodrigo looked at Vannoza for answer, seemingly just as confused as I was. The swallow sighed before whisking towards the monitors. Rodrigo followed her, glaring back at me disdainfully as he sauntered toward his love. Peering over her shoulder, he watched as she tapped in keys at a rapid pace, and two images of me and Rodrigo showed up with an unknown language between us. Vannoza hesitated, stating that the language was in her native tongue of Babylon.

"What's it say?" I called, to far away to get a close look.

"As you recall, I told you about your soul being reincarnated from Rodrigo's," Vannoza explained. "However, since Rodrigo has come back to life, you're actually sharing the same soul now. There's fifty percent of the soul in Rodrigo, and fifty percent in Charmy. I'm predicting that you two are experiencing a connection by sharing the same soul. If one of you should die, the other shall die as well."

"But how come that didn't happen the first time, four years ago, when I killed that brat?" Rodrigo questioned.

"There must be a spiritual connection," Vannoza informed. "When Charmy died four years ago, there was only hatred between you two. Because Charmy didn't go back in time then, you two didn't bond."

"We had to _bond_ in order for us to get this?!" I shrieked. "Oh, man! I wish I never went back to the past now! Rodrigo, you're a crazy four-eyed freak, ya know that!"

"Shut up, bee! I'm trying to figure something out!" Rodrigo irritably snapped. "If it weren't for you, none of this would've happened."

"Well, you shouldn't be a psychopath," I retorted.

"Why are you a midget?" Rodrigo sneered.

"I'm not that small!"

As Rodrigo and Vannoza murmured either sweet nothings or deviously plotted, I tried to find any loophole in my orb-shaped prison. It was made out of some sort of see-through metal, definitely not from Earth, and I placed my bets that it was from Babylon. I placed my antenna by the metal, gently tapping it to find how sturdy it was. Soft reverberations of sound monotonously echoed for a few seconds before stopping. Sighing huffily, I found myself drawn to a second orb similar to my own without anyone inside. Shaking my hesitation, I began to jab at the same spot I poked with my stinger. It refused to budge, making an odd, mouse-like squeak each time I stabbed at it until a tiny creaking noise penetrated the squeaking. Upon inspection, the metal had almost been breached, revealing a few cracks that with a punch would've released me.

Suddenly, Rodrigo's scythe curved around orb, making me freeze. The crow sauntered up towards me, clearly amused at me futile attempts at freedom. Gazing at the cracks, Rodrigo waved a finger at me before his Dark Ark of the Cosmos illuminated with a greyish-black hue. Gravity hung around me before slamming me onto the bottom of the prison. Yelping at the stress that propelled me, I managed to scowl at Rodrigo.

"Don't even try at escaping," Rodrigo hissed malevolently. "You're too weak."

"I'll…show you…weak," I grumbled, trying to get up, but the gravity proved too strong.

Rodrigo pointed a finger at me outside of the metal. "Just shut up and watch. Remember how you asked for no 'crazy experiments' performed on you?" When I didn't respond, Rodrigo called off his gravity powers and sniggered. "You're not as pure as you believe to be."

"What's that mean?" I demanded, dragging myself to my feet.

Vannoza was typing something into one of the monitors as Rodrigo taunted me. Calling him over, they began to converse over something through hushed whispers. I continued to desperately try and break through the metal, but Rodrigo's scythe had actually blocked the crack I made, holding the orb containment in place. Glaring at the scythe, I noticed that the curved blade was crusted in faint blood stains, and I noticed a small shred of a white cloth attached at the tip. Blood drained from my face as I gazed at my reflection, and it was as though my blood went onto the scythe, painting a picture of me in my own somewhat tainted blood.

A nod of confirmation from Vannoza made me snap out of my gaze. The swallow looked directly at me, and she sighed lightly. Her hand grasped a lever, preparing to pull it down. I almost pleaded with her not to, but since my curiosity obtained my common sense, my voice tightened in my throat, refusing to budge. Rodrigo urged his love to continue with whatever she was doing, placing an eager hand around her waist like a devoted husband to an insecure wife. Nodding affectionately at him, her eyes turned as cold as his when she turned to glance at me and looked away before yanking the lever down.

The wires that fed me oxygen suddenly expanded, and the orb containing me rose higher into the air. The other prison reached me level as well when a strange black lightning or electricity began to tingle in the wires. The wires, now bursting with black electricity or some sort of energy, went in further before it snatched my wrists and ankles. That's when the black electricity surged through my body, making me howl with agony. It was as though all the blood and water inside of me was on fire since water conducted electricity. I thought my organs were burning from the inside out, and my world collapsed into darkness once the electricity shut down. My eyes were drooping and glazed, making the world seem like a nightmarish realm, and Rodrigo and Vannoza were the ruling monarchs.

Vannoza seemed guilty, tucking her head into Rodrigo's chest. The crow had no emotion visible on his face as he watched me struggle. Ironically, when Cesare and he tormented me with his son's Aura of Nightmares, he was wishing for more pain bestowed onto me. Rodrigo closed his eyes before facing the monitor's screen, apparently not wanting to watch me suffer. The monitor next to the one that showed Rodrigo and I flickered to life once the electricity stopped flowing. A grey outline of myself appeared, slowly draining to white as a black outline of myself slowly formed.

From the other prison, a figure slowly formed from the black electricity that poured into it. It slowly took form as a creature about my size with ragged antennas fully black with white and purple jagged stripes for his chest and body that went onto his arms and legs. His eyes were dark cobalt, almost a light purple with tiny slits in them. His muzzle was slightly darker than mine with a ripped blue jacket and white slacks. His wings were triangularly shaped with faint orange outlines. In fact, he looked like an opposite version of me.

"Charmy, allow me to introduce you to your darkness," Rodrigo sneered loftily, caressing his palm against the other orb prison. "Meet Anti Charmy, the darkness stowed away in your heart."

"Anti me?!" I shrieked. "But that's insane! There's no darkness in my heart!"

"No one is pure," Vannoza murmured coldly. "You share Rodrigo's soul, which means you share the same heart pretty much. Though they're different in your bodies, they have the same rhythm and contortions of emotions."

I hesitated as the dark version of myself slowly cracked his neck. His cold eyes narrowed onto my fretful ones, and Anti Me smirked. Shaking his head in moderate disgust, he reared his fist back and slammed it into the metal. Surprisingly, it broke on contact, showing he was much stronger than me. Anti Me sprung forward, landing softly on the ground as he bowed lowly to Rodrigo. His lips were clenched together as though his lips were sown together. I gulped inaudibly as Rodrigo's sick grin grew wider.

"Alright, you are my latest pawn, Anti Charmy," Rodrigo sniggered. "Do you comprehend that?"

He nodded, saying nothing.

"Your mission is to eliminate the Babylon Rogues under the guise as your good side," Rodrigo explained.

"It should be easy," Anti Me scoffed, twirling a green kunai in his left hand that was the opposite of the red one Espio gave me. "After all, I'm the dark component of little Charmy over there. It shouldn't be hard to twist their hearts around, and I'm an expert at knowing all of his secrets and moves. I'm everything he isn't."

"You can't do that!" I shook from rage, trying to punch my way free like he did, but the metal orb proved to strong, and I only injured myself in the process. "You're me! You'll feel guilty! They're your friends too!"

"That's not relevant to me. I'm made of your darkness, meaning in terms that I should probably only feel…" Anti Me's smirk grew wider, his canine-like teeth gleaming viciously. "…pleasure."

With those haunting words, Anti Me departed with his triangular wings boosting him away like an Extreme Gear powering up. My body ran cold as the words sank into my pores. I could only slink to my knees in defeat, knowing there was no way I could escape my prison. Hopeless dawned on me like a flashlight suddenly running out of power.

"Look at how the mighty has fallen," Rodrigo chortled, patting my prison affectionately. "It's such a shame that you didn't just agree with me in the beginning. We could've ruled this puny planet, and-"

"What you offered me when Jet and Storm left was a chance to murder my friends!" I screamed, knuckles turning ghostly white as I clenched them. Hissing at the crow, I slammed my fist right at his face on the prison. "I'll get you, Rodrigo. This is a promise. You'll wish you stayed dead!"

"Sure I will," Rodrigo grinned mockingly. "Then I'll wish for gold at the end of the rainbow and fruits to rain from the sky to pound you into a skeletal structure. Believe me, this is a promise that you'll wish that you were dead still."

As Rodrigo taunted me, Vannoza tapped in a few more keys before the monitor that showed me and Rodrigo vanished. A new screen showing the Digital Dimension appeared with Wave, Espio, Vector, Mighty, Ray, and surprisingly, Aliza, and Sirin all standing around. Vector was questioning Sirin on everything he knew about Rodrigo, and the sparrow was giving everything up along with Aliza.

"Vector, they've already proven they switched sides," Wave snapped, crossing her arms. "Stop interrogating them."

"It's not like they know much else, anyway," Mighty added. "Give them a break."

"I know," Vector replied with a sigh. "A good detective always gets the information from a former partner to the villain. Of course, you're a stupid thief and wouldn't know that."

"Excuse me?! I'm a genius, you mediocre, wannabe Sherlock Holmes!" Wave screeched.

"Give it a rest," Ray groaned as Mighty held the pissed off swallow back. "We don't need anymore bickering."

"Anyway, who do you guys think brought us here?" Espio asked, trying to switch the subject. "It seems very suspicious that Sirin, Wave and I would just be locked up in the Botanical Kingdom, get knocked out, and wake up here. Perhaps someone is trying to relocate us so we don't get in the way?"

"It's plausible," Sirin agreed, but remember what Lucrezia said: She and her brother were working against Rodrigo for Vannoza, but she appears to be working with Rodrigo. It's a rather complicated family."

"I wish you got more information from her," Vector moaned. "Wait, could Cesare have some new accomplices? He never mentioned anyone else to you beside Lucrezia, and Tagio's probably not in his scheme."

"Tagio only joined him because his family was also involved in the Great Tribe War, and Cesare was the leader at the time. He was a royal suck-up to whatever Cesare's will bent to," Sirin explained dryly.

As everyone began to speculate on whatever Cesare plotted, two dark marine eyes flashed in the digital walls. Anti Me swiftly fluttered above the group in my shrink form, apparently gaining that power from me as well. I wondered if he could control and do everything I could, and I was about to find out. He chucked his jade kunai at Wave, but Espio quickly launched his own kunai to deflect the kunai, paralleling them into the ground. Flicking his wrist back, Anti Me recalled his kunai, transforming it into a small short sword and changed back into his normal size.

"Charmy, is that you?" Mighty gasped horrifically. "What happened to you?! You're blond!"

"I am the darkness in Charmy's heart, Anti Charmy!" he announced arrogantly. "I have been ordered by my master, Rodrigo, to eliminate the Babylon Rogues."

"Why would you tell us that?" Aliza asked. "That only gives your motive away."

"Ya know what?!" Anti Me shouted before hesitating. "Nevermind. I'll just kill Wave and be on my merry way."

"I'd like to see you try," Wave challenged with an eerie smirk. "I can easily take on a twerp like you."

Anti Me only sighed reluctantly as Wave brandished her trademarked Wrench O' Doom. She charged at my dark side, wildly swinging her wrench around. I noticed that she had a gauze wrapped around her forehead and several parts of her upper and lower body, covering some sort of injuries, and I instantly felt a pang of guilt strike me, knowing that it was still part of myself that was attacking her. Anti Me parried her wrench with ease, slapping it away like he was kicking a puppy. He's that evil, I know! Wave wobbled backwards, still hurt from her battle with Lucrezia. Taking this opportunity for granted, Anti Me quickly stabbed his sword straight at her.

Wave stumbled backwards, holding her side in agony. She panted, watching as crimson ooze stained her white top, and it seeped into her clothes like how soil sucks water up. Flopping to the ground, she cried out as her body roared with pain while the endless flow of blood continued to slide out. Anti Me scoffed, muttering that it was only a graze. Sirin threw several senbon in his half sister's defense, but Anti Me quickly turned back into his shrinking form. Each needle went straight by him, stabbing into the technological walls with data streaming on them. However, Ray carried Mighty overhead, dropping the powerful armadillo onto Anti Me, clutching him tightly in his unbreakable grasp. Anti Me gasped, grunting as he slowly streaked his sword against his palm. Wincing, Mighty accidentally released his predator, holding his hand in pain.

"Die, swallow!" Anti Me screamed.

I slammed my eyes shut, too terrified to watch. Sounds of metal slashing against flesh ruptured through my antennas. Espio screamed Wave's name, and someone fell to the ground. Rodrigo chuckled before bursting into hideous laughter as I weakly opened my eyes. My breathing became erratic, completely off-beat and at random. Agony surged through my heart, and it beat so hard that it was like puncturing through my ribcage.

Wave the Swallow was lying on the ground with a sword stabbed straight through her chest. She gasped several times as the others ran over, crying out to her. Ray was paralyzed with fear, fainting on the spot. Anti Me removed the sword and transformed into his shrinking form, flying off to wherever Jet and Storm were located. Wave turned to the others, smiling weakly as tears propped in her eyes. She tried to make out a sound, attempting to get her final words out, but breathe left her. Her eyes slowly closed like a tomb's covering, and her head fell limp as blood began to drip down from her chest. Her head turned to the side, mouth a slight gape. One tear trickled from her eyes as her last form of goodbye. Wave the Swallow was dead.

"Yes! Yes! This is too good to be true!" Rodrigo cheered like an eager child. "Pinch me, Van, I'm dreaming!"

Vannoza actually pinched him.

"Ow! I was kidding!" Rodrigo whined before resuming his jeers. "Let's listen to what pathetic crap they'll spout about her death."

"W-Wave?" Sirin murmured, kneeling next to his dead half sister. Grasping her shoulder, he gently shook her, calling out her name frantically. "Wave! Wake up, please!"

"Sirin, don't defile her body!" Mighty cried, shaking with anger. "It's wrong to shake the corpse of such a girl like Wave."

Sirin leaped to his feet, glaring at Mighty, but Espio held him back. Mighty heaved his unconscious squirrel friend over his shoulder solemnly. Aliza pressed her hands together, blessing Wave's moderately kind soul while Espio bowed his head respectively. Vector, however, was completely flabbergasted, and his question brought much miserable controversy.

"What are we gonna say to Jet and Storm?"

Rodrigo quickly shut the monitor off, stating that he had enough joy. Turning victoriously to me, he jeered, "How does it feel, brat, to lose someone very precious to you?"

I was already crying, tears pouring down my eyes like waterfalls. Each time I tried to dry my eyes, more kept streaming down endlessly. I felt completely at fault, knowing that Anti Me was part of my soul. Jet would blame me for her death, and nobody would defend me. I would've taken all the accusations with strife, figuring that I was completely defenseless in their wake.

"You're sick!" I roared through my tears. "Sick! I'll kill you again, Rodrigo! I'll gut your tramp of a wife too!"

"First, I am not a tramp!" Vannoza defended, glaring back at me. "Besides, it's all apart of my love's plan. Right, Rod?"

"Exactly, Van," Rodrigo cooed, kissing her forehead. "Once we use Anti Charmy to rid the Babylon Rogues for us, we just kill this brat and live forever in our world, our Babylon."

I just sunk in my prison. There was nothing left for me, but one thought came to my mind: evil souls are blond unless you're named Rodrigo.

---

A white and grey Extreme Gear bike pulled up to the Virtex home in Station Square. A woman with black hair that reached her shoulder blades with chocolate eyes and glasses appeared at their door, wearing simply grey shorts and a matching top. She placed a hand over her stomach with black flamed wrists that contrasted with her white fur. Kiba the Panda sighed loftily before hesitantly kicking their door unlade-like with her brown hiking boot.

"Coming!" Raine cried, opening the door. "Oh, Kiba? I haven't seen you in a while. Come in, please!"

"Thank you, Raine," Kiba muttered softly. She lost some of her eagerness, a hand rubbing her stomach uneasily like she was about to throw up. "There's something I must inform you."

"W-what?" Raine stammered, immediately concerned.

"Team Chaotix and the Babylon Rogues left a few hours ago to face Rodrigo, and they haven't come back."

"They did what?" Rector hissed, appearing with Shade and Howl. "I can't believe they would do something so reckless! Wait, how do you know?"

"I received a message from me home phone from Storm," Kiba replied sadly.

"I thought you broke up," Shade inquired.

Kiba didn't reply, cocking her head out at the door with a slight smirk. "Well, Raine, you coming with me to save your boyfriend?"

"First, she doesn't have a boyfriend," Rector injected as Raine was about to follow her out. "Secondly, Charmy isn't boyfriend material."

"But we went on a date!" Raine shrieked. "I really like him, Rector!"

"Date? Like?" Rector recited, trying to stifle laughter. "You and Charmy went on a date, and you like him?"

"Yep! Let's go Kiba!" Raine proclaimed, darting out the door.

Kiba saluted the Virtex team off, sluggishly sauntering after the butterfly. Rector was about to protest, but the thought of his precious adopted sister being in love sent his mind into turmoil. Dead away, Rector fainted like a father whose daughter announced she was about to get married. Howl sighed, dragging his leader onto a cough as Shade tended to him. The wolf glanced over at the door, watching as Kiba sped off with Raine clinging to her waist.

"I can only hope they'll be okay," Howl stated.

"They'll be fine," Shade assured. "I can feel it."

"Are you positive?"

Shade nodded. "I'm an echidna. We can sense these times of trials. Though, I do believe some…misfortune will come to that poor girl's heart."

Instead of questioning Shade's instincts, Howl closed the door, catching one final glimpse of Kiba and Raine in the distance. Wishing them luck under his breathe, he quietly shut the door.


	25. Goodbye, Hello

Characters © Respected Owners

---

Ch. 24: Goodbye, Hello

Wave was dead. Gone forever, leaving a mass of bloody flesh and feathers behind. My prison's air seemed to constrain, leaving me breathless. I stared at my hands, knowing that it was my other self that killed her. Similar situation, since it was like I murdered her. I wondered how Jet and Storm would take her death, and I could feel their looks of agony and rage already beating down on my mind.

As Rodrigo continued to snicker about his descendant's death, he turned to glance back at me with a disgusting smirk plastered on his beak. Tapping my orb prison, the crow began to taunt me, but I wasn't listening to his glorified rant. I was too ashamed of myself, turning emo like Shadow when he was just released from the Space Colony Ark. Vannoza wasn't teasing me with hankering, evil sneers; she appeared more miserable like the old version of her back on Babylon. It was as though she regretted watching Wave die.

"Hey, brat, are you listening to me?!" Rodrigo snapped, slowly breaking me out of my self-piteous daze. "Feh! At least, watch your friends die. Van, where's Anti Charmy now?"

"He's bursting up the stairs, love, to where Jet and Storm should find an interesting end to the stairs," Vannoza mysteriously cooed as Rodrigo nuzzled her neck affectionately with her beak.

"Get a room," I muttered just loudly enough so that I alone could hear it.

The monitor that showed the others mourning Wave's corpse swapped to Jet and Storm slumped onto the stairs in exhaustion. Rodrigo cursed, stating they were back together as friends, adding that Tagio failed. I presumed this meant that Tagio was dead, and the birds were back on as brotherly comrades. Jet had his head slumped onto his knees as monotonous curses escaped his harsh beak. Storm was panting heavily, being the one who had to carry him and I for the most part. The duo avians glanced at each other before sighing in discontent.

"Hey, Storm?" Jet muttered, still breathing rather heavily.

"W-what, Boss?" Storm stammered.

"If you were a girl, I'd date you."

There was a moment of completely awkward silence. Storm slowly turned to face Jet, realizing the jade hawk was clearly delusional. Jet's head began to swagger back and forth, exposing the extent of his tired and half-insane nature before clinging childishly to Storm's arm. The albatross just stared wide-eyed in absolute disbelief as Jet began to sniffle like he lost something precious. He began shivering, sucking in shakier breathes than before.

"B-boss?!" Storm cried frantically as Jet's whimpering became suddenly audible. "W-what's wrong?!"

"S-something's wrong," Jet whispered, eyes widening in panic. "Something's just not right with everyone else, and Wave...I'm feeling so…so cold inside." He looked up at Storm, eyes still panic-struck. "Can't you feel anything, Storm?"

Storm hesitated, looking at the stairs they sat on. His eyes flickered in realization before looking down at all of the stairs they climbed to reach the point where they sat. Something was wrong, just like Jet had predicted. They should've at least had some sort of communication from the others, and Wave should've followed them, like always. The Babylon Rogues always stuck together, and she had all sorts of radios or doo-dads that could've sent them a message somehow.

"You think something…bad happened to Wave?" Storm asked, summarizing Jet's fears with a nod of the hawk's head. "And what did you mean by that if you were a girl, you'd date me?"

"…When did I say that?" Jet questioned stupidly.

"Um, like, a minute ago." Storm blinked in surprise, wondering how bad Jet's condition was.

"…I said that? Must've been delirious, but I might've of. You know, if I were a girl."

Storm slapped himself in the forehead. Jet nervously chuckled, a smiling creeping onto his face. They got back up with Storm threatening to kick Jet over the edge of stairs he asked him to carry him again. Backing off, Jet smirked before glancing over his shoulder and placing a hand in front of his right-hand-man to stop him. Instead of questioning his leader, Storm obediently stood in place, waiting for any instructions. Jet yanked out his fans and slashed them downwards, creating a gust of wind to warn off any intruders. It was a defensive move that I had seen Jet do several times whenever we were on heists, and it worked.

Anti Me barreled backwards down the stairs, changing back into his normal size. He rubbed the back of his skull, glaring harshly at the shocked birds. The sudden appearance of my dark self seemed to inflate anger in Jet as his eyes narrowed Storm hiccupped back his surprise as Jet's grasp on his fans tightened. Brushing back his blond bangs, Anti Me yanked his green dagger out of his opened jacket, getting into a defensive stance.

"Charmy, what the hell are you doing?!" Jet demanded coldly.

"Hah! He thinks your darkness is actually you!" Rodrigo chortled viciously.

"Hah! Storm, I told you he was evil!" Jet victoriously jeered, stabbing a dramatic finger at his cohort.

"Charmy, why are you-?" Storm, however, wasn't able to complete his question when Anti Me simply began to giggle.

"You think I'm him? You think I'm my weak, puny, pathetic, light counterpart?" Anti Me scoffed. Cracking his neck, a wider, devious smirk entranced the mirror of insanity to his face. "It's amusing, you idiots, for you two to fight and let him get captured by Lord Rodrigo and Lady Vannoza."

"Charmy got captured?" Jet gasped. "So, he's not a traitor?"

"Told ya," Storm growled.

"The idiot refused to assist my master, and he was knocked unconscious by Vannoza. The deal was to get revenge on you, Jet, but he shook his head. Once the shake was done, Lady Vannoza slapped her hand onto the back of his neck, effectively sending him to the realm on unconsciousness. I was created in an orb made from the malice, envy, and whatever sins from Charmy's heart bloomed. I am Anti Charmy, a new and improved weapon for Lord Rodrigo's cause."

"That's kinda like what Tagio did to Sonic and Knuckles," Storm recalled nervously. "When he made them throw your Control Box around and nearly kill us!"

Jet pulled out the Control Box, having retrieved it from Tagio. Clenching it tightly, he glowered back to Anti Me, snapping, "But you're not really him. You'll never be him. You're nothing, but a clone ain't ya?"

"Once Charmy is dead, the only one left will be me," Anti Charmy grunted idly. "After all, it's not like you cared about Charmy, Jet."

"What?! Yes I did!" Jet defended.

"Then why did you accuse Charmy of betraying you just because his soul was reincarnated from Rodrigo's?!" Anti Charmy bellowed. When Jet didn't answer, he couldn't have, he sneered and continued. "You accepted Wave when you learned she was Rodrigo's descendant, but you can't have Charmy be Rodrigo's reincarnation. It's sad, really, because you're so selfish-!"

"Selfish," Jet repeated emotionlessly. "I'm…selfish? That's the word you used?"

"B-boss?" Storm stuttered. "Are you okay?"

"You think that decision was easy for me? Just giving up on him? Well, it wasn't!" Jet shrieked, making almost everybody except Anti Charmy flinch. "He was, is, a member of Babylon Rogues. I was too hard on him. I'll arrogantly admit that I was wrong. You make a good point, Anti Charmy, but let me ask you something: Once you fulfilled your purpose of whatever Rodrigo told you to do, what're you gonna do if, by chance, Charmy dies? What happens to you?"

Anti Me hesitated, staring at the kunai in his hand. His fingers began to twitching as he looked from Jet to Storm and back to his knife. Gulping audibly, my darkness' eyes began to glaze over like he was absorbed in his own little fantasy world. Slowly, he fluttered upwards with his kunai being twirled by his forefinger. Like always, Jet was impatient for a response, shouting at him to stop buying time.

"If Charmy dies, I die," Anti Me bluntly replied. "The world doesn't stop spinning for one life. I will die for Lord Rodrigo's cause and be happy about it."

"What if I kill you now?" Jet demanded coldly, disgusted by his answer.

"If you kill me, or if Storm kills me, Charmy and I shall die at the same time. It doesn't matter to me, though, as long as I am better than my light counterpart," Anti Me responded greedily. "Though, I think this bit of information should invoke some…wrath."

"What now?" Storm growled, balling his bone-crushing hands into fists.

Anti Me raised three fingers with Rodrigo's ugly smirk plastered on his face. "There are three blood members of the Babylon Rogues: Jet, Wave and Storm. Let's say my pointer finger is Jet, my middle finger Storm, and my ring finger is Wave. Now, what would happen if my ring finger suddenly dropped?" Anti Charmy lowered his ringer finger, leaving his pointer and middle finger still up. "Can you figure that out?"

Jet blinked in confusion and so did Storm. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, in layman's terms, that Wave was fun to stab and kill."

Breathe was lodged out of their throats. Jet's left arm began to tremble, and his fans almost slipped out of his hands. His eyes bulged to their farthest extent while his jaw began to do the same as his left arm. Shaking his head, audible, negative moans were heard consisting of him denying Wave's death. Storm's placed his hand to his beak, appearing sick like he was about to throw up. Tears propped at the corner of his eyes, threatening to break free at the slightest twitch or hiccup. This is what they were feeling as they sat on the stairs, something deep down within them told them that Wave hadn't survived.

"I bet you hate me now," Anti Me snickered, trying not to burst out into laughter. "I'd bet my left wing you'd want to slaughter me, hack me into pieces right? Well…" Anti Me dashed forward with his kunai poised to strike. "…you should've moved faster!"

As Anti Me was about to strike Jet in the forehead, Jet's hand snatched it, dropping his fan in the process. Anti Me froze, completely in shock as Jet's grip tightened. Blood dripped down the fresh wound, leaning onto the kunai and trickling down to Anti Me's fingers. Jet slowly looked up with eyes that belonged to a murderer. He wasn't Jet anymore, but a man whose lover was slain. It was like he had stayed up drinking night after night when his eyes grew almost bloodshot.

"Die," Jet hissed, swinging his left fan onto Anti Me's chest.

Anti Me yelped in pain, recoiling backwards. I suddenly felt a stab of pain in my chest, wondering what was going on. Jet, however, was on a rampage. A roar surged through him, seizing control of Jet's actions. Storm, finally snapping out of his misery, cried out to the hawk, but he was considerably unreasonable at this point, not desiring to play "Whodunit" and pick out who the real culprit was. Holding the kunai tightly, Jet lunged at the dark bee, swinging it completely unorganized. Anti Me easily dodged his strikes, aiming a well-placed sting on his right shoulder. Groaning at the forming red mark, Jet threw the emerald kunai back to Storm, stating for him to stay put as he snatched his other fallen fan. The albatross attempted to reason with him again, but words wouldn't move the Babylon prince.

Weakly, Anti Me barely avoided the oncoming strikes from Jet's fans. The torrents of wind that Jet created pushed the dark bee to the ground, and he tumbled down the stairs. Jet was immediately on him, hands wrapped around Anti Me's throat. As the air was cut off from Anti Me's throat, I felt as though Jet's hands were crushing me throat. Gagging I found myself edged against the orb prison, attempting to breathe, but I realized something: Whatever happened to Anti Me occurred to myself.

"The orb that contains you holds another special power from my brilliance," Rodrigo informed, coming towards me as Vannoza watched the monitor. "I infused this with a special poison. Remember Cantarella? I made it special with my son's aura and the electricity. It placed some inside you and Anti Charmy, giving you the same effects. Whenever he is hurt, you are. Better to kill two birds with one stone, am I right?"

"B-bas…bast…" I attempted to curse him out, but everything began to dim. The lights began to fade to grey, and my eyelids grew heavy. As everything began to die away, Storm's voice cut through.

"B-boss, s-stop! You'll kill him!" Storm cried, trying to pry the hawk off. "You don't want to be a killer like him, do you!?"

"Release me, Storm! He deserves to die!" Jet screamed, trying to grasp Anti Me's throat, but he scrambled away. Glaring back at Storm, he tried to elbow him away, shouting, "He killed Wave! You knew I loved her, and this…demon kills her! He took her away from me! I want his blood to splatter the stairs, and-!"

"You sound like Rodrigo!" Storm roared.

Jet froze, easing up in Storm's arms. Staring back at the grey seabird with large, frightened yet confused eyes, he murmured like a lost child, "What do you mean?"

"You sound like Rodrigo. You want to kill someone in cold blood," Storm stated, letting Jet go. "That sounds like something _he_ would do. Boss, Wave wouldn't want you acting like this. She wouldn't want you to go insane and kill everybody."

Anti Me cursed foully, gathering their attention. Holding his throat with both hands, he gasped in air. "You almost strangled me to death! Murderer!"

"Look at whose talking now," Jet sneered, grasping his fans. "It's two against one, brat, you don't stand a chance. I won't kill you, but I'll just make your life a living hell." Turning to Storm, he gave him a "heh" look, saying, "You happy now?"

"Yup," Storm cheerfully replied. "And you! You're gonna pay for what you did to Wave!"

Rodrigo, knowing that Anti Me had little hope in the situation, pressed a button on the monitor. "Anti Charmy, that's enough. Wave's dead, so that's a plus for us. Get back here immediately."

"Understood, Lord Rodrigo," Anti Me replied, nodding curtly.

"Where's his voice coming from?" Storm questioned.

"There are installations of amplifiers hidden throughout his castle. With a press of a certain button, he can communicate to me or anyone he wishes too," Anti Me explained. "And now, I bid you adieu!"

"Get back here, you murderer! Damn coward!" Jet screamed.

_WHAP!_

Anti Me went sailing up the stairs, over and Jet and Storm's hand and landed against the stairs. I winced, holding my stomach in pain from his impact. Kiba the Panda rested her baseball bat with rusty nails over her shoulder with Raine floating next to her eagerly. Jet pointed a surprised finger at them, blinking in confusion. Storm, however, didn't appear happy to see and neither did she. Both refused to gaze at each other, greeting their latter companions.

"What are you two doing here? Thanks for the save, by the way," Jet asked cautiously, trying to find some common ground where Storm and Kiba wouldn't fight.

Sensing Kiba's anger, Raine decided to answer promptly. "Kiba received word from the Wolf Twins that you guys and the Chaotix left to fight Rodrigo. She recruited me to help."

"Why would _she_ help?" Storm growled, crossing his arms. "All she did was run away like a tramp around the bases."

"Watch it, bird, before I hit a homerun with your pea-sized brain," Kiba threatened, holding her bat with both hands.

"Wolf Twins?" Rodrigo recited nervously, glancing back over his shoulder. "What the hell?!"

Psyko suddenly crept up behind my prison, using his knives to slash the top open. Yanking me out, he hitched me over his shoulder, flipped Rodrigo and Vannoza off before shouting at Somatic to "run like hell". Somatic nodded, waiting for his older twin to get in front of him. I was too flabbergasted at their arrival to even do anything, but a sudden ball of gravity smashed us to the ground before we even got out.

Rodrigo stomped towards us, snatching my wrist as he used his Dark Ark to come the wolves down. Noticing my Light Ark on my wrist, he blinked in surprise, staring at his same wrist. Instead of the Light Ark that Sirin had supposedly stolen for him, Vector actually deceived the sparrow by creating a look-a-like Ark in case something like that happened. Rodrigo snatched my wrist, attempting to pry my Ark off, but I chomped my teeth onto his fingers. Yelping like a new-born Chao, Rodrigo slapped me back down on the ground, clearly pissed.

"You pompous wolves should've stayed in Dream World!" Vannoza huffed, raising her arm as a ball of dark gravity came to her hand.

"Oh, you're Vannoza? Don't know why he would do this for you," Somatic grunted as he and Psyko tried to get up.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"Mother, Father, I heard some strange noises," Cesare stated, appearing in the room. He glowered down to Psyko and Somatic. He pulled out his longsword, snatching Psyko by his ear. "Oh, just some annoying mutts? I shall deal with them."

"You won't," Rodrigo commanded. "I want to use them for my experiments to see how they can kill in dreams. Bring them to my quarters. While you're there, take care of these rodents." He jabbed an aggravated finger at the monitor showing Storm and Kiba not even glancing at each other with Raine and Jet trying to have a conversation. "I don't give a damn about the butterfly or panda, so just kill Jet and Storm. Especially Jet because I want the last prince of the Solar Tribe to be done with once and for all."

Cesare nodded curtly, dragging the weakened wolves away. However, I noticed smirks hidden on their faces like they were plotting something devious and insane. Once the door murmured shut, I found myself alone with the murderous avian couple of Babylon.

---

"Okay, this is enough!" Raine snapped as Kiba and Storm glanced over to her. "It's ridiculous how you two can just mope and glare at empty walls instead of talking things over!"

"For once, I can agree with a kid," Jet added, crossing his arms. "Wave and I got back together after Rodrigo controlled me. Why can't you two?"

Neither one spoke, arms crossed haughtily over their chests. Jet and Raine exchanged annoyed looks before Jet sighed. Approaching Kiba, he placed a somewhat friendly hand on her shoulder. While she was about to subjugate him, Jet kicked off right off the edge of the stairs. Eyes widening in panic as her footing failed her, she tried to grab something when Storm snatched her hand and dragged her back up. As she stumbled to his chest, both were still glaring forsakenly at each other.

"Oh, man, I thought that 'girl-falls-into-boy's-arms' trick would do it," Jet whined, lowering his head defeat.

"Genius, Jet, real smart of you," Raine sarcastically muttered, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Shouldn't you go find your boyfriend or something?" Jet scowled.

"That's right! We have to find Charmy!" Raine cried, bolting on ahead with Jet reluctantly following.

"Are you guys just going to glare and grumble at each other all day?!" Jet called from the stairs. "Hurry up!"

Surprisingly, Kiba and Storm walked side-by-side with neither in front of back. Their eyes went everywhere else, but never in his or her partner's general direction. Storm twiddled with his necklace for a while, trying to find some way to distance himself from her. However, he noticed that her eyes deflated very slightly and felt the urge to ask her a question.

"This is about that stupid fight we had a week before Jet and Wave's wedding, isn't it?" Storm asked quietly.

"No duh," Kiba grumbled. "You said some pretty awful things, Storm."

"So did you," Storm retorted hotly. Taking control, he calmed down and rubbed one of his temples. "I'm just wondering something. Why did you ask about my motives in the Babylon Rogues and you? You know I can't leave Jet and Wave."

"I just learned about how Princess Sally Acorn and Sonic broke up. He chose work over her." Kiba didn't finish when Storm gave her the "WTF" face.

"Are you serious?! That's what this is all about?!" Storm cried. "Just because Sonic chose duty over desire _years_ ago doesn't mean I'm the same!"

"That's not what you said! You said that I was a total idiot to believe I came second," Kiba snapped irritably.

"Then why are you angry?! Just because I called you an idiot?! I'm called an idiot every couple of minutes!" Storm shrieked.

She combed her fingers through her hair, clearly agitated at being put on the spot. "What you said afterwards is what set me off. You said that I wasn't good enough to be in the Babylon Rogues."

"What?! I-I never said that!"

"Don't lie! I had a recorder placed on the table when we were fighting!" Kiba victoriously cheered, pulling out the recorder. She pressed a small button, which revealed their entire fight. However, she fast forwarded it a couple times to when they were simply talking. Unfortunately, Kiba's statement about Storm accusing her of not being good enough to be in the Babylon Rogues was somewhat true, but his meaning was off.

"_I just think that you're going to get in trouble if you're with us,"_ the recorded voice of Storm said.

"_So, you think I'm not good enough?!" _Recorded Kiba's voice accused.

Storm stopped the recorder, forcefully snatching it right out of her hands just as they were getting into a heated argument. Pressing the red circle stop button, he glowered back at her. Kiba crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation. Jet and Raine stopped, glancing back at the bickering broken up couple, waiting for Storm to speak.

Storm pinched his brow, looking at his shoes that suddenly seemed so interesting. Returning her gaze with equal aggravation, Storm closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Clearing his throat like he was stalling, which he was, he replied, "What I meant was that I was concerned for your safety. That's it."

"…What?" Kiba bluntly questioned. "Are…are you saying I took this the wrong way?"

"Sounds like it," Storm smirked. "It's okay, we're all stupid sometimes."

"But I said you were the stupidest, most annoying, forgetful, idiotic, stammer-machine in the entire world," Kiba muttered. "…Are you taking me back?"

"Yeah, don't worry! I said you were the huffiest, most aggravating, pole-dancing stripper, so we're even!" Storm cheered with a thumbs-up.

Kiba hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest feathers. Storm gladly took her back, knowing that it was just a miscommunication. Similar to that time when Amy mistook Sonic's word of "date" by him saving her from one of Eggman's robots. Of course, people's minds are warped in the concept of love, taking everything and every word from what their lover says seriously, but really, they were fighting over a stupid sentence? Wow, even Sonic's not that idiotic.

---

**I can't think of a catchy saying. Oh, well, I forget to do one of these last time, so, here we go! What will Charmy do now that he's alone with Rodrigo and Vannoza? Can Jet, Storm, Kiba, and Raine get to him in time? Where did Cesare, Psyko and Somatic go to? Find out next time in Rogue's Bee**


	26. Family Victims

Characters © Respective Owners

---

Ch. 25: Family Victims

So, what happened with Rodrigo, Vannoza, and I when Kiba and Storm had that rather amusingly cynical argument? We watched obviously! What, you thought Rodrigo was going to kill me like a normal villain? No way! Vannoza made us some popcorn, and we observed Kiba and Storm making up. Vannoza pointed out that they were the worst couple in history, and I almost agreed with her until Rodrigo stated something inappropriate that I didn't understand about Vannoza in her youth. She slapped him over the head as the panda and albatross were hugging. I found myself watching Raine hug Jet's head, feeling a pang on envy flow through my veins until Jet shoved her lackadaisically off, stating that he had a girlfriend.

"Hey, what do you two think is on that recorder?" Vannoza asked aloud.

"Probably something stupid, screaming and cursing most likely," Rodrigo assumed. "Charmy, your thoughts?"

"Maybe they'll start making out on it! Like, before the fight!" I suggested, popping more of the 'corn in my mouth. "…What?"

"…Are you mentally challenged?" Rodrigo questioned, taking the bag of popcorn away from me.

"Vector says I have ADHD," I replied earnestly.

Vannoza and Rodrigo blinked simultaneously as he returned to gaze at the monitor. A hint of anger came to his eyes when Jet began to murmur about Wave's sudden death and how he would rip my throat out. I flinched as Anti Me zoomed in, screeching to a stop feet away from Rodrigo. Saluting his leader, he glowered at me before glancing over to the ruined prison orb. A clear distaste shone brightly on his face as he crossed his arms.

"Is something wrong?" Rodrigo asked uncaringly. "You look more stupid than usual."

"Why hasn't my other, useless self been taken care of?" Anti Me demanded. "I should've been dead by now."

"Whine, whine, whine. That's all you really do when you're aggravated," Vannoza commented silkily. "It'll be a real drag when you go."

"Of course, that'll be sooner than you think," Rodrigo jeered, smiling innocently.

"Lord Rodri-!"

As though he had gained Sonic's speed, Rodrigo cunningly snatched his scythe from the orb. He sneered cockily before plunging the scythe right into Anti Me's chest. His eyes widened exasperatedly, gagging heftily as blood began to form around the blade. I noticed that I felt absolutely nothing like when Jet began to strangle and injure my dark form. Staggering backwards, Anti Me gasped as blood began to trickle from the corners of his mouth. Falling backwards, he panted heavily before his eyes clouded over, shutting like table drawers. Anti Me was dead, but his body began to crumble into a thick, black mist. It absorbed back into my chest, making me cringe as my soul was reconnected.

Vannoza gave Rodrigo a confused look, completely in shock at the sudden evaporation. The swallow immediately demanded an explanation as Cesare quietly slinked back into the room. Glancing back at him, I pretended to ignore him once a vindictive smirk came to his beak. His longsword dangled idly in his hand, and I noticed that he wasn't wearing gloves, exposing white flamed wrists. Rodrigo glanced lazily at his bastard son, deciding to ignore him as well.

"Anti Charmy and the real one shared the same soul, meaning they felt the same pain, but that would only work if Charmy or his dark form was in the prison to contain him. The Cantarella kept Charmy's soul twisted," Rodrigo explained. "It gave him the same attributes as Anti Charmy. Cesare, what do you want?"

Cesare removed part of his red cardinal's cloak, exposing that his left shoulder had been slashed by twin knives, Psyko's knives. His aura seemed to mesh in the dim lightning of the room, making him seem partially normal against the damp, insane laboratory. Rodrigo didn't seem interested, but Vannoza immediately went over to her step-son with motherly concern. Morbidly, Cesare watched as his step-mother cooed at him, pulling out disinfect cream to soothe his wounds. She wrapped bandages around his arm that she found in a nearby drawer, and the crow murmured his grace respectfully.

"How the hell did some measly wolf slash you?" Rodrigo demanded coldly, finding someone new to torment. "Your aura is supposed to guard anything, including knives."

"I was too slow in raising it," Cesare informed, cracking his neck. "My bad, Father, don't get your panties in a bunch."

"Cesare, how rude!" Vannoza scolded as Rodrigo fumed.

Snickering at Rodrigo's misfortune, I noticed that Cesare's grip on his longsword tightened to the extent that his knuckles were paler than his white flames. Rodrigo commanded for his son to go and execute the other Babylon Rogues, but Cesare remained firm in place. Glancing over his shoulder with accusing eyes, his father ordered him again in a more forceful tone. Yet, Cesare stood in his place, leaning on his sword defiantly like he was a hot shot. Vannoza placed a warning hand onto her beloved child, and I noticed that part of his aura seemed to flee in her touch, making Cesare wince slightly.

"You believe I'm stupid, don't you, Cesare?" Rodrigo questioned, learning towards him. "You don't think I'd find you conspiring with your dear sister, Lucrezia, eh? That's why I killed her because she, once again, intervened with my plans. When I had the Solar Tribe in my hands with you as the leader, you were letting the aura take over, and that little wench stole my Red Orb, giving the Solars all of my information! My plans of attacks!"

"Technically, you were dead, Father," Cesare pointed out, "and I was in charge, so yeah. I'm so much better than you are at leading people. Even though my aura had possessed me at that point, I still had enough sanity to relieve Lucrezia to the other side with the Red Orb that I gave her. Anything for the crown of Babylon."

"Traitor! Damned traitor!" Rodrigo screamed, grabbing his son's arm. His talons embedded themselves into his elbow's veins, making the younger crow wince. "You really thought you were going to deceive me once more, _son_?! Not this time! You're going straight to Hell again!"

"Rodrigo, don't hurt him!" Vannoza cried, latching onto his arm. "He's our son! He didn't mean any of that!" She turned to Cesare, eyes seeking solace in his answer. "Right, Cesare?"

As they bickered, I noticed that the monitors had suddenly shut down. There were no more reports on Jet's group's whereabouts, and I almost feared the worst, even though there were no signs of any ambush. I recalled Psyko and Somatic disappearing with Cesare last, making me question their loyalty. Heck, what if Rodrigo paid them like he did to Sarge two years ago? There was no comprehension of anyone's ties anymore, especially not in this tainted castle. Returning a frightened glance over my shoulder, I quickly darted past the fighting family of avians towards the door, finding it hopelessly locked. If I shrank, I knew Rodrigo would plow me against the door with his gravity powers. That's when I got an idea as I rubbed my Light Ark. I never used it before, making me wonder if I was worthy. The Master Ark graced me during my last battle two years ago, but this one was made of the pure light of Light Gaia aka Chip. Collectively speaking, I was either dead or alive if my plan didn't work.

"Hey, Roddy-Roddy-Rodrigo!" I jeered.

"Answer me, boy!" Rodrigo roared, grabbing Cesare's cloak. "And what do you want, brat?!"

"Cesare, fall down!" I ordered.

Cesare slipped out of his cloak, falling backwards to the ground with his longsword parrying Rodrigo's scythe. Taking a breathe, I aimed the Light Ark at Rodrigo and prayed for something, anything at this point, to happen. The Ark slowly glowed to a resilient white, making Rodrigo hiss as the light filtered to the center gem. Suddenly, the light, combined with the power of gravity, blasted out into a thick beam of gravity, but was colored white. Rodrigo was struck in his chest, sending him flying backwards into the monitors. The scythe's blade slashed into a few monitors before drooping to the ground with its master.

Vannoza instantly aided her lover, but Rodrigo shoved her aside. Fueled with hatred, Cesare leaped back to his feet with his sword gripped tightly in his hands and charged like a mad bull seeing red. Rodrigo attempted to stand, but he couldn't. I realized that the after-affect of getting hit with the LG Beam (Light Gravity Beam) as I dubbed it was that he was paralyzed for a few moments. Rodrigo tried to reach for his scythe, but his arm refused to budge at his side. Panicking, he gaped as Cesare's sword that was aimed for his head plunged down at him like an anchor sinking.

However, that bloody strike never came. Time froze for those precious, unforgettable moments, and everyone's heartbeats seemed to pound out the sound in the room. What happened next would scar not only me, but Rodrigo and Cesare the most. Vannoza managed to recover just in time to shove Rodrigo out of the way. Unfortunately, Cesare was so blinded by raw anger that he stabbed his sword straight into her chest. Vannoza's eyes went wide for a few moments before they cleared and wavered to Rodrigo. Rodrigo wasn't paralyzed anymore, but the sight of his love beginning to bleed to death made him freeze.

"Van? Van?" Rodrigo weakly called, crawling to her. His voice was quieter than a mouse on Christmas' Eve. "Vannoza?"

"M-mother," Cesare whispered, relinquishing his grasp on his sword.

The swallow gagged on her own blood as it oozed out of the corners of her beak. Rodrigo hovered over her, tears forming his eyes. The glasses he wore fogged up, and Vannoza gently grasped them away from him, placing them in his clock pocket. At this point, Rodrigo couldn't control himself and openly wept for her, but she shushed him. She gestured for Cesare to come closer, and he knelt by her. Rodrigo shot him wrathful glare through tear-soaked orbs. He didn't return his father's hateful gaze, leering morbidly at his dying mother.

"I love both of you so much. I love Lucrezia, too," Vannoza stated, combing her hands through their headfeathers. "You both look so much alike. You really take after your father, Cesare while Lucrezia looks like me. If I must die, I am glad it's like this with you two at my side. Cesare, you're my precious son, you'll always make me proud, even if you did betray your father and I. I still love you." She sighed, smiling brightly at Rodrigo. "I loved every moment with you, Rodrigo, my love. Every…precious…moment…" Her eyes glazed over, and her head tilted sideways. Vannoza caught eyes with me, winking once before her head slumped onto the ground. She was dead with Cesare's sword still soaking in her blood.

"Vannoza!" Rodrigo shrieked, grasping her head. He began to breathe heavily, crying out to her in vain. "No, no, not like this. Why? Why now? Please, don't leave me, again. I worked…I worked so hard for us to have the perfect kingdom. I love you, Van, don't go. Don't go, Van!"

"Mother, I did this for you," Cesare murmured, touching the side of her face. "You wanted peace for so long. I just-!"

"What did you say?" Rodrigo quickly asked, glaring daggers at him.

"She wanted for us to be happy, and if I killed you, she would never be happy," Cesare growled, removing his sword. "I loved Mother, but now that she is gone, it's time for you to perish!"

"You're the murderer! You killed her! Vannoza didn't deserve death!" Rodrigo shrieked, snatching his scythe.

"You'd fight in front of her dead body?" I questioned quietly, pondering her wink.

The father and son enemies turned towards me before fixated their miserable gazes onto the woman they loved dearly. Rodrigo snatched Cesare's arm up in his scythe, dragging him into the air. Proclaiming they would fight outside like the old days, he swung his scythe away, slamming Cesare into the doors, busting them open. Rodrigo darted past me, apparently forgetting that I was the one who caused his defeat in the Great Rebel War on Babylon. Taking one last gander at Vannoza's corpse as Rodrigo and Cesare began their own war outside, I pressed my hands together and bowed to her, silently thanking her. There was still some good in her, and I thought that wink meant that I could go ahead and fight Rodrigo.

The enigmatic crows were slashing their blades at each other furiously. Each strike was blocked by the other, and the pattern continued. I winced, hiding behind the door's edge. Cesare's aura grew demonically, but Rodrigo didn't seem worried. In fact, his large, berating smirk grew wider. As his aura blocked Rodrigo's scythe, the older crow did something unexpected. When Rodrigo lowered his scythe so that the blade was caressing the floor, Cesare found his perfect time to attack.

"Didn't anyone tell you that lowering your guard is the worst thing you can do in a fight?! Foolish Father!" Cesare victoriously exclaimed, aiming a well-prepared slice to Rodrigo's torso. "Prepare for death! After this, I'll be a happy drunk!"

"I'm a fool? Oh, Cesare, you've still moderately young," Rodrigo maliciously cooed. "Payback sucks, doesn't it, you alcoholic?"

"What?!" Cesare cried. Slowly, his aura was actually being sucked into Rodrigo's Dark Ark of the Cosmos. Cesare was frozen, awe-struck as his dwindling nightmare aura vanished into the Ark. Soon, his entire destructive aura was completely gone, consumed by Rodrigo's Dark Ark. "M-my aura, it's finally gone?"

"You absorbed his aura?" I gasped astonished.

"Yes, all for my precious Vannoza. The only reason why I gave you that hideous aura was because I needed a source to release all of the negative energy from the original Arks of the Cosmos, and you were my vassal," Rodrigo explained. "What? You thought I would be stupid to give myself such a tortuous power? Not a chance."

Using Cesare's shock to his advantage, Rodrigo kicked him straight across the face. The "happy drunk" stumbled backwards, nearly losing his balance until Rodrigo slammed his fist against his beak. Cesare flopped to the ground, dropping his sword in the process. Weakened, his golden eyes fluttered open as he groaned in disdain. Rodrigo hovered over him, placing his scythe right by his neck, curving around his throat. Cesare gasped, trembling in fear as his vindictive father sneered delightfully.

"I'll have to admit, you were good to me when you were loyal. If you hadn't succumbed to the faulty teachings of Stolen, we would still be on normal terms." Rodrigo nonchalantly shrugged. "Oh, well, it doesn't matter now. After all, you took my Vannoza away."

"King Stolen treated me like family, even though he knew my aura was consuming my soul. He pitied me, but he never exposed any shred of hatred to me because I was your son," Cesare hissed. "I unfortunately killed him with my aura because it possessed me, but the next generation of Babylon Rogues, Prince Chiaro the Hawk, Lucrezia the Crow, and Cid the Albatross, they brought the end to the Lunar Tribe. No matter how far your cruelty goes, _Father_, the Babylon Rogues will stop you!"

"Enough of this stupid banter! Die!" Rodrigo roared.

"No! Cesare!" I screamed as my Light Ark began to glow again. "LG Beam!"

"Compressed Babylon!" Rodrigo cried.

From his Dark Ark, a giant, slow moving ball of black gravity spewed out, dashing at me with incredible speeds. My LG Beam cut straight through like when I sliced my sword through it two years ago, making me think I won. However, the LG Beam was consumed by the Compressed Babylon, increasing the speed until it slammed into me. Pain ruptured my body as I was crushed into the wall. Crying out, I slid from the wall and remained motionless as Rodrigo returned to deal with Cesare.

"N-no, don't," I weakly called, trying to stand, but Rodrigo increased gravity around me, propelling me to the ground.

"Where was I? Oh, yes!" Rodrigo eagerly glowered down at Cesare whom gagged on the blade that began to slowly cut into his throat. "I was once decapitated by Charmy when I first met him when he was six. I think you'll like the same punishment, no? Well, you don't get the choice, now do you?!"

"Then why did you ask?" Cesare retorted like a smart aleck. "Goodbye world and all how inhabit it. I want my free booze in Heaven, and Mother, Lucrezia, I'm coming."

Rodrigo embedded his scythe directly through Cesare's neck, decapitating it clean off. Cesare was killed immediately, eyes wide and emotionless like the rest of his face. I choked out his name fearfully, cowering in fear as Rodrigo actually kicked Cesare's head to the wall. He screamed his laughter, proudly congratulating himself for his "good deed" and began to stab the deceased crow's body, hacking it into pieces. Soon, there was nothing, but a slab of meat with unidentifiable organs and body parts. Blood covered the ground, splattering the walls and ground. Parts of his tainted blood slapped onto my face; my fear of blood came back instantly, making me whimper and curl up into a ball.

"Beautiful," Rodrigo murmured excitedly. "People are so easy to kill. If the heart stops beating, we're screwed. If our lungs become clogged with water, we suffocate. A simple bone fracture could prove fatal. Wouldn't you agree, Charmy?" When I didn't answer, he snatched my wings, hoisting me over his shoulder. Creating a black hole, he threw me inside, shouting, "It's time, boy! Everything will be decided by this one battle!"

"I'll avenge everyone you killed and controlled," I vowed inside the black hole as Rodrigo stepped inside. "Cesare, Lucrezia, Cannon, Espio, Jet…you'll pay for this!"

"It's the final duke, Charmy Bee! Who will be victorious: The prince-turned-peasant or the peasant-turned-king? I think the answer is quite obvious," Rodrigo snickered.

"Yeah, me!" I exclaimed.

---

"He's dead," Psyko stated. "Cesare just died."

"What?! How?" Jet cried in shock. When the wolves remained silent, the answer came clear to Jet as day. "Rodrigo."

"Exactly," Somatic confirmed. "He accidentally killed Vannoza instead of Rodrigo. She shoved him out of the way when he swung he sword into her."

"How'd you two see this?" Kiba asked, shaking slightly.

"Cesare told us to hide in the vents, so we did. We got everything on these radios," Psyko informed, pointing to the communicator Cesare gave him. "They double as cameras. It's kinda sweet."

"What about Charmy? Is he alright?" Raine questioned, concern wracking her voice. "Did you get anything on him?"

Psyko tossed her the radio, sniggering as she fumbled to catch it. "See for yourself. Last thing we saw before coming down to see you guys is him trying to save Cesare."

Raine trembled, biting the insides of her lips. She hesitated as Jet, Storm and Kiba began to crowd her, and she began to press random buttons in feeble hope of activating it. Managing to turn the contraption on, she closed her eyes and pressed another button. Thankfully, it turned out to be the correct button, and a frozen image of Cesare's hacked body lay with me frozen against the wall. Raine threw the camera back to Psyko, dashing up the stairs. Somatic snatched the butterfly by her wings, waving his finger at her. Angrily, Raine was ready to throw her paralysis powder at him when he shoved her into Storm.

"We have to take you back to the first floor where everyone else is," Psyko explained. "Besides, Jet, don't you want to mourn Wave?"

"So, it really is true," Jet murmured sadly, slumping past him. "Psyko, Somatic, what's the quickest way to get back to the first floor, the Digital Dimension?"

"Just walk back or jump off the side," Somatic informed. "Wait, you aren't gonna, are you?! Jet, don't be crazy!"

Almost as though the blind wolf predicted it, Jet leaped off the edge of the stairs. Storm's beak flew open, crying out his boss' name before stupidly jumping after him. Yeah, birds have no brain cells except for Wave. She probably stole them from Jet and Storm. Raine, Kiba and the Wolf Twins gazed at the descending blurs of green and grey through the blackened abyss. Shaking her head, Kiba suggested they start walking.

"What's with you?" the panda asked, noticing that Psyko wasn't moving. "Constipated or something?"

"No, you wench, look here," Psyko snapped, threatened to punch her in the face. He placed the communicator in the ground, pressing another button. Suddenly, the device transformed into a black Extreme Gear bike that hovered in the air. Its side opened up, revealing two passenger seats. "I just recalled that this…thing triples as an Extreme Gear. Don't ask me how, Cesare stole this from Vannoza. Go figure."

"So, you're telling us that Jet and Storm, if they waited five seconds, they'd be here with us on this Extreme Gear? Also, we'd be riding down the steps right now if you remembered?" Raine summarized with a growl of disbelief.

"Don't pin the blame on him," Somatic defended. "Jet and Storm were too impulsive."

"Come on, stop wasting my time!" Psyko shouted from the driver's seat. "Get in the bike or I'll leave you guys behind! We have to catch Jet and Storm before they fall!"

As Raine and Somatic hoped in the bike with the butterfly sitting on Kiba's lap, she couldn't help feel misery and worry over me. There was something tugging at her heart that just screamed that something atrocious was going to happen. She shouldn't have been there, but here, with me. Raine was ready to leap out and dart off in a frantic search, but Psyko kicked the Gear to its highest speed, dashing off down the steps. Raine hid herself in Kiba's chest as the panda held onto the side for dear life, wishing and praying for some sort of salvation to herald.

---

**The ties of the family are broken, unleashing the final battle! Can Charmy overcome Rodrigo? Or will he succumb to the Master Emerald's prediction? What will Jet do when he sees Wave, cold and dead? Find out in the next Rogue's Bee!**


	27. The Premonition of War pt 1

Thanks to Sonic Phantom for the title.

Characters © Respective Owner

Chain of Memories: Sonic's Tale © Babylon Sky Hawk

---

Ch. 26: The Premonition of War pt. 1

Subtitle: Michael Jackson's is a Bird.

I don't like fate. Never have, never will. To me, fate was just something that could be bent and divided, or fools like Sirin can bow their heads and crawl towards it. Fate at that point of my life was completely irrelevant, leaving me two choices: Live or die. Live and return back to my normal, rather comically adventurous life or die to the Master Emerald's prediction, allowing Rodrigo's fate to blossom into many possibilities of world domination or something more dramatically drastic.

The new area surrounding Rodrigo and I proved rather peculiar. We were in some type of throne room with metal floors and walls draped in black gold with silver polishes of windows, allowing -perhaps artificial- sunlight through in spectrums. Glancing at the ceiling, I blinked in utmost confusion and awe. There was some sort of mantel painted into the ceiling with an emerald gem in the center with two circles beside it, one white and the other black with a grey outer color.

As the portal closed with Rodrigo stepping in, I cringed at his chuckles. Glaring back at him, I found him staring up at the same mantel with his scythe hung lackadaisically over his shoulder. The demonic crow's smirk grew broad as he observed the mantel like he achieved some great accomplishment. Facing me, he calmly dragged his scythe to the ground, leaning on it.

"You're pretty nervous," Rodrigo stated calmly, his tone nearly breathless. "Me, on the other hand, I've never felt better in my life."

"Take it that you're happy and oh-so satisfied with your son's death?" I scowled, snatching my kunai.

"He deserved it for killing my Vannoza," Rodrigo quickly retorted, rage diverting the amiable pleasure. "She was an angel, he was a demon."

"Whatever you say, crazy," I growled, chewing roughly on the insides of my mouth. "Where are we, anyway?"

Rodrigo gave a flourished gesture to the compound, clearly excited that I asked. "Do you recall when I showed you the truth of how the Golden Hive Colony fell to the _Solar_ Tribe?"

I nodded, shuddering at the flashback. During King Accel's, Jet's father's, reign, he and his group of Solar Babylonians were located in my father's kingdom for some when I only a baby, just six months at the time. Wave recalled that the Babylon Tribes were still at war, revealing that my family and the citizens of the Golden Hive Colony would house them. However, when the Babylonians increased their stay when the Lunar Tribe had finally succumbed and fled away, there was a major rumor going around that King Accel had apparently attempted to poison my mother, Queen Flora. It was this that sparked the Babylonians to attack, in the end, killing my father and had my mother escape, though she did die after handing my baby form to Vector and Espio. However, I never actually got to confront Jet about this, finding it rather difficult to do, knowing that his father killed mine.

"How could I forget?" I mumbled bitterly, snapping out of my flashback.

"This was the place where your father and I fought," Rodrigo explained cruelly, grinning with the satisfaction of my confusion.

"Wait a minute, you and my dad?! It was Jet's dad and my dad that fought!" I cried, cocking my head. "What are you implying?"

"What can I say? Like father, like son," he coldly sneered, chuckling audibly. "Accel was a stupid fool, drinking what he thought was wine to be none other than another of my brilliant controlling poisons. While I possessed that idiotic hawk, I made sure that I killed his wife, Rosalie, in front of little Jet just to play with his mind."

"…You…you…did that? Everything…everything was…c-caused by…" My morose voice trailed off, trembling uncontrollably.

Rodrigo did it. Rodrigo possessed King Accel, leading to the destruction of my future kingdom. He killed my parents, wrecked my kingdom, and placed the blame on Jet's father. In return, he had Accel kill Jet's mother in front of the young hawk and leave with no explanation. Sooner or later, he was found dead with the bodies of Storm and Wave's parents due to the Lunar Rogues assassinating them with Rodrigo. My entire lithe frame shook from the torturous revelation, haunting me even more than when Cesare imprisoned me in his Aura of Nightmares.

"I bet it hurts," Rodrigo sniggered. "Knowing that everything you once thought to be true was a complicated lie. Bet it sucks, eh?"

"Monster, you monster," I snarled. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Launching at him, I released a kitty roar, attempting to stab him, but Rodrigo merely side-stepped. Swinging his leg backwards, he caught my chin and hacked me into the air. Rodrigo was quick to retaliate, snatching my antennas and slamming me into the ground. Gasping, I managed to sting Rodrigo's hand off, making him wince. With the advantage, I quickly rolled back to my feet, headbutting him directly into his chest. Rodrigo grimaced, gripping his scythe even tighter and began to rapidly swing it. Each swung was parried by my kunai, but Rodrigo smirked, slamming the heel of his boot into my shoulder. I fell backwards, releasing my kunai, and the demonic crow slapped it away. I watched in horror as the crimson ninja tool clattered away before my wings began to flap frantically to get away. Thankfully, I managed to scatter out of the way just in time before Rodrigo could stab my head open.

"LG Beam!" I screamed, aiming my Light Ark to his face.

A straight line of white colored gravity dashed towards Rodrigo, but the crow remained motionless. In fact, he seemed pretty happy. The devious crow raised his Dark Ark, and Cesare's aura bloomed out, blocking the beam of gravity as it spread to several corners of the area. Rodrigo punched his fist into the air, and the aura dashed along the remnants of the white beam before locking itself onto my Ark. Part of the aura remained on Rodrigo's as though we were attached by malice. It was rather ironic since we were, and through the same reincarnated soul.

"What'd you do?!" I cried, shaking my Ark. "Try and use some creepy voodoo to make me your toy for bed?!"

"No, you sick pervert!" Rodrigo shrieked, blushing immensely.

"I'm a sick pervert?! You're the one that stalked me for the last four years!" I countered.

"…Irregardless, I just decided to make the fight more…fair for the both of us," Rodrigo cooed maliciously. "With Cesare's aura intact with both of our Arks, we have each of the Ark's power. For example, LG Beam!"

The same attack I had just launched at Rodrigo fired back at me with surprising speeds. I narrowly avoided it, but Rodrigo used his Ark to make him levitate. He dashed at me, punching me square across the jaw, and I almost thought he broke my bone there. I was sent flying towards the ground, but my Ark glowed, breaking my fall. Sighing quietly, I was immediately jolted back to reality when Rodrigo attempted to pound my head in. Dodging, I countered back with my own fist that sent him staggering slightly, but he was quick to recover with his scythe to use as a shield for my on-coming blows. Rodrigo shoved me backwards, swinging his weapon at my fist, managing to nick my cheek. Cringing at the cut, I noticed my kunai was in a closer range; it somehow must've been moved during the gravity distortions. Quickly thinking, I fired another LG Beam at the ground, propelling me into the air and sent Rodrigo back flying as the gravity began to compress around him. Snatching my kunai, I grinned cockily as the crow began to groan.

"Beginner's luck," Rodrigo snorted.

"I've beat you twice already, which means I ain't a beginner. Not anymore," I replied earnestly.

"I suppose not," Rodrigo admitted, making me gape slightly that he would even agree with me, "though, you've never learned proper defense."

Rodrigo's Ark glowed, making his eyes turn slime green, and he hovered into the air. Dashing towards me at impeccable speeds with a Gravity Dive, I nearly forgot about those when Rodrigo fist almost collided with my fist if I hadn't moved. Creating a black hole, I hopped into it, appearing behind Rodrigo and kicked the back of his skull, but he snatched my leg and flipped me onto the ground with his hand clutching my throat. He placed his hand about a foot from my face, creating a white ball that I recognized as a Compressed Babylon.

"Any last words before I end your miserable existence?" Rodrigo chortled, just dying to plow that Compressed Babylon into my face.

"Pedo-crow," I lazily stated before snatching my kunai knife when Rodrigo released the ball.

Stabbing my kunai into gravity ball, I realized that it had transformed into a short sword. I almost gasped at its appearance, having not used it in so long. Espio made the function of a short sword in case I ever needed it, which I did when I sliced Rodrigo's head clean off. Rodrigo grimaced, letting go of my throat when I attempted to stab the Babylon avian, rolling to the side where I immediately got up and slashed my sword at his chest. Unfortunately, I only managed to ripped his cloak off and throw it aside.

Rodrigo leaped to his feet, throwing his scythe into his belt and punched his Arked fist forward, screeching, "Dark Gravity Beam!"

"This again?" I whined as the beam of black gravity dashed towards me. "Oh, well, LG Beam!"

The white and black beams of gravity seemed drawn to each other, signaling each other out. An immediate flashback came to my head once the beams collided, each egging each other on to prove themselves. In the beginning of out second fight, this happened as well, and I lost the battle of strength. An ostentatious, wolfish snarl escaped my throat as I took a step forward with my Ark's beam slowly conquering Rodrigo's. The crow winced as my light beam began to dominate the darkness, making Rodrigo grunt in disdain as his Ark's dark beam slowly started up again. The opposite forces, both shedding immense power suddenly exploded, rocketing us backwards on the ground.

Being the first to recover, Rodrigo leaped to his feet and in a flurry of rage, he began to fire of several DG Beams. However, I proved to have increased my intellect by creating a black hole, which was, ironically, white due to it being the Light Ark, and sending the Arks in there. Yes, I am pretty smart, screw you non believers. Rodrigo, eyes still a fervent slime green, remained emotionless as he raised his palm at me.

"Arrogant little pest, you never changed. Babylon Pulse!" Rodrigo roared as a lashing, jutting bolt of white thunder ejected from his palm.

I remembered that too, recalling how the thunder changed from white to black on painful contact. It was also the reason why I lost my Honeybee Badge that day, but this time, I had a little surprise for Rodrigo. Instead of gaping or dodging, I remained perfectly still and waited for the bolt. Once the bolt came within close contact, I placed out both of my hands, left hand behind the right, halting the bolt in its tracks and reversed it back to Rodrigo. The crow, bug-eyed at my technique, barely managed to avoid getting his shoulder singed. He grimaced as the black lightning burned him, grasping his shoulder in agony.

"Explain yourself," the devious crow demanded.

"Two years ago, you destroyed my badge which was also my shield. When you left to punish Bean for betraying you, I was visited by the dead," I smirked. "My father, the one you _murdered_, decided to give me a little gift." Removing my right glove, I revealed to him my Honeybee Badge. "He created a new badge for me, a new shield, Rodrigo, so I could defeat you forever!"

"Well, guess what? Even with your pathetic sword and shield antics, you'll never kill me! Your father used a rapier against my scythe, proving to be a bad idea! It was his loss!" Rodrigo chuckled, laughing like he had already won. "And your mother? Heh! She wasn't even hot."

If there was anything you shouldn't do in fights, it's insult another man's mother. Be it his, a friend's, it's wrong and characterless. A monstrous vein sprouted in my forehead, making me seethe uncontrollably. The only times I met my mother was when she set herself on fire in Cesare's Aura of Nightmares and in that flashback showing her given my baby self to Vector and Espio. She was probably one the most beautiful women alive, well, she's dead now, but whatever. Of course, there was a simple sentence to summarize my turmoiled rage: I was pissed.

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER THAT WAY, YOU CRAP-EATING BASTARD!" I screamed, making the crow cringe.

Oh, yeah. I'm tough.

Gripping my short sword tightly, I charged at Rodrigo and began to swing at random. Rodrigo was the bull master, holding the red cape, and I was pull, snorting and attacking at random. Rodrigo continued to dodge, easily avoiding my rage-fueled slashes, but he quickly struck me across the face with his unArked hand. Blasting me away with a Gravity Beam, I cried out and skidded across the ground. A small trench was left in my wake as I groaned. The force of the blow caused my sword and shield to fly out of my hands in opposite directions. My bass drum pounded in my head as I reached up to rub the back of my helmet.

Rodrigo calmly hovered over to me, eyes wide and like a viper's. He crouched down next to me, reminding me of the Master Emerald's prediction of the hellish future if he won. I managed to get on my elbows, but Rodrigo slammed his boot into my chest, effectively knocking the wind out of me. Gasping, I reared backwards as my lungs were close to suffocation. Leaning close to my face, he grasped the collar of my jacket and brought me close. Surprisingly, Rodrigo didn't kill me right then and there, instead he did something rather...disturbing, like Michael Jackson disturbing.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

OH MAH GAWD.

My eyes grew wide in absolute horror, disgust, and confusion. Pupils dilated, my breathe ragged and bemused. Why did he kiss me of all things? Heck, at least it wasn't my lips. That would've earned him me chopping his balls off. On the other hand, this would've too, but I was so mentally dismantled at that point, I couldn't even remember how to breathe. If Rodrigo started to sparkle like those Twilight vampires, I would've slit my throat immediately. Screw the world, screw everybody! That was just plain disturbing and wrong!

"W-why-why did you just-?!" I stammered as Rodrigo slowly removed his boot.

"I just wanted to have some fun with my victim. It's better to watch you squirm in distress," Rodrigo sneered viciously, his voice dripping like ice cold honey.

"B-but you kissed me!" I protested. "Dude! If that doesn't scream 'pedophile', I dunno what does!"

Rodrigo just smirked in amused aggravation, lowering his scythe to my neck. The cold metal pressed up against my throat, making my shiver. I clearly remembered how he stabbed my shoulder with my own sword, and I nearly died of blood loss. It was clear that his intentions were to behead me like what I did to him four years ago. Rodrigo pressed his knee to my chest, holding me down as I tried to fight him off, but everything seemed ineffective. Hell-bent on slashing my head off was his goal, and I sure as hell didn't want to die the same fate as him.

"Any last words?" Rodrigo questioned cruelly as he if wanted to hear me entreat for my life.

"Oh, woe is me…are you a pedophile?" I sarcastically asked. "Yes or no? Cuz I'm thinking heck yeah."

"No, and those words will be your last!" Rodrigo screamed as he raised his scythe into the air and slammed it right at my throat.

My mind scrambled for anything. For my body to defend itself, but I froze as the metal would soon impale my throat, leaving a river of blood. Clenching my eyes shut, I rolled forward into Rodrigo's knee, barely avoiding the scythe, but it scratched thin trail across my back. Wincing as the blood mixed with the air, I punched Rodrigo square across his dirty beak.

Rodrigo fell to the ground, quickly retreating to his feet as my jacket came off, exposing my black and yellow striped body. At least I was wearing baggy black pants or Rodrigo might've stared at my man parts. A few of my black bangs flopped down in front of my face in exhaustion, but I shoved them messily into my helmet, knowing a single blind spot would mean my downfall.

"You've improved," Rodrigo commented slowly like a flat whine. "This is a much better banter than the other encounters.

"I've practiced with the Chaotix and the Babylon Rogues, the cream of the crop," I jeered. "Ya think I'd just come in here like a pretender? No way, Rodrigo, never again."

"Never again? What's that supposed to mean?" Rodrigo snapped.

"It means that I won't lose to you. I let Vector, Espio, and so many others die because of your hatred for me." I clenched my fists, anger surging through my like electrical currents. "Never again! Nobody's going to have to defend me! I have my own two feet, and I'll use them to stand and fight on my own!"

Rodrigo sarcastically clapped for me with a 'you're-an-idiot' face. "Is that your Oscar award speech? Lame. Even the chick that kept saying, 'You really like me!' did better than that crap."

"…Pedophile," I mumbled.

"That does it!"

---

Storm landed first on the cold, metal floor due to his larger frame. He screamed like a little girl before contact, praying for salvation. He groaned, surprised that he wasn't dead, but wished he was when Jet landed on his back. Jet leaped right up, completely unharmed, and thanked Storm for "being an avian pillow". Storm nodded, still lying on the ground until the emerald hawk yanked him up. Moaning, the grey seabird checked his ribcage, but instantly gasped when Jet bolted off in a random direction.

"B-boss, where are ya goin'?!" Storm shrieked, darting after his impulsive leader.

"No time, Storm! We have to find Wave! There might still be time to save her!" Jet cried, over his shoulder. "Let's try over there!"

Jet and Storm ran for several minutes with the latter becoming extremely tired. He paused, holding his knees as he gasped down breathes. Jet, however, only stopped because he found something peculiar. Ushering Storm to remain silent, the two crept over to a strange looking door with a deformed heart. The heart was black with red thorns enveloping it with the door being a bright white with a creamish yellow colored crown on top. Figuring that's where they would find Rodrigo or Wave, Jet pulled out his bansho fans as Storm bashed the door down.

Standing in front of them was a pure white room with a similar door like the one they had entered, but it was pure white with no deformed heart. White vases on pedestals surrounded them with a massive pair of white double doors behind them. The male Babylon Rogues glanced around the room before the emerald hawk suddenly fell right onto his face by a sudden shove to his back.

"Ow! What's the big idea, Storm?" Jet demanded, getting to his knees. "Storm?"

The albatross remained in stunned silence, making Jet blink in confusion. Raising an extremely shaky finger in front of him, Storm tried to make a clear sentence, but an audible string of stutters came out. Looking in his finger's direction, Jet's teal eyes widened in abstract horror and shock at the scene before him.

A cobalt hedgehog stared back at them with some strange type of blade in the form of a key with a white hedgehog and grey albatross to his left and to his left was a brown raccoon and pink…koala? They weren't sure what that thing was. Storm and the grey albatross just stared at each being that they looked exactly alike, but with our Storm weighing less with more muscle.

"The King!" "Storm" and the white hedgehog shrieked, dashing over to him.

"What?" Jet stupidly replied as "Storm" enveloped him in a bear hug. "Oh, whoa! Hey, hey! Let me go!"

"King Jet, I'm so glad we found you!" the azure hedgehog that appeared to look a lot like Sonic jeered, stretching out his hand to shake. "Where's Espio? Is he with you?"

Ripping Jet from "Storm's" grasp, Storm glared back at his copy before placing Jet on the ground. The pink koala-like creature rushed over to Storm, snarling up at him before snatching his leg and actually picked him up into the air. Jet simply gaped as it chucked Storm across the room and into a large vase. The hawk immediately disregarded "Sonic" and rushed over to his buddy, yanking him out of the vase. Staring back at the group with confusion, they remained stationary as the white hedgehog and "Storm" began to murmur amongst each other.

"Heya, King Jet! I'm Marine, world's greatest adventurer!" the raccoon, now known as Marine cheered, rampantly shaking his hand. "Storm and Silver told us lots of stories about ya!"

"Storm?" Jet repeated, looking up at his albatross friend.

"You…you don't remember us?" Silver, the white hedgehog, questioned sadly. "It must be because of the castle, and-hey! Where are you going?!"

Jet and Storm bolted past them, but the hawk tripped over the pink koala. Bad mistake. The pink koala, called Angel by her comrades, glared back at Jet, making him wince before Storm snatched him. Heaving Jet over his shoulder, he quickly slammed the door shut. Both of them panted heavily, shaking as their voices faded, and the door vanished like a car going over a misty bridge.

"What…the hell…was that?" Storm asked through pants.

"I have…no idea," Jet replied, clearly spooked.

"King Jet," Storm sniggered, "that's what they called you."

"If you keep talking, I'm gonna punch you in the face," Jet threatened.

"This was the place where your father and I fought."

Both of them straightened in fear, looking around for the eerily quiet voice. Jet placed his head down onto the ground, murmuring that he had found the source of the talking. Storm quickly copied him, listening intently to the conversation.

"Wait a minute, you and my dad?! It was Jet's dad and my dad that fought!"

"That sounds like Charmy," Storm whispered breathlessly as Jet nodded.

"He must be facing Rodrigo," Jet concluded. "Let's just shut up and listen."

"What can I say? Like father, like son," Rodrigo's voice snickered. "Accel was a stupid fool, drinking what he thought was wine to be none other than another of my brilliant controlling poisons. While I possessed that idiotic hawk, I made sure that I killed his wife, Rosalie, in front of little Jet just to play with his mind."

There was more communication, but he couldn't take it anymore. Jet's eyes widened in complete shock. The jade hawk rose silently from the floor, trembling terribly for the jaggedly ice cold revelation. He sucked a breath in, attempting to control his emotions as Storm removed his head from the ground. Jet placed his hands on his head, muttering something to himself, and his breathing became erratic like he was holding back tears.

"Boss, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Storm whispered as the hawk leaned into him, a hand covering his face.

Jet began to sniffle before the tears became uncontrollable. He leaned into Storm, burying his face into his chest and began to sob. Voice completely dry and gone, Storm just held onto his leader tightly, allowing the younger bird to cry into his white chest feathers. Jet clung to him like a lost child as Storm's arms protectively wrapped tightly around his form.

"He did it," Jet managed to cry hoarsely through the waterworks. "He did it. My dad wasn't bad. D-dad was g-g-good. Dad was a-a good…a good guy! He-he didn't-he didn't kill Mom. Rodrigo did! He did it! I hated him, Storm, I h-hated him for the longest time because of what I-I th-thought what he did to Mom was true, Storm! Dad didn't do it! I hate myself…I hate myself…"

"I-it's not your fault, Boss," Storm stammered as tears began to flow in streams down his face. "You did nothing wrong; everything was Rodrigo's fault. You-you don't have blame yourself. N-not anymore."

"I'm sorry," Jet whispered.

And that apology was the first of many as Jet said "I'm sorry" in an endless string.

---

**The time of truth is revealed and the balance and fate of the world is in the hands of one small bee. Can Charmy kill Rodrigo? Or will the universe bend to Rodrigo's will? Can Jet ever forgive himself for believing his father was a bad person? Find out next time in Rogue's Bee!**

**P.S: BSH, please don't kill me. :D**


	28. The Premonition of War pt 2

Characters © Respective Owners

---

Ch. 27: The Premonition of War pt. 2

Subtitle: Poison, and Disney, and Souls! Oh my!

Another word I don't like is failure. It's too a strong a word, too harsh for anyone to comprehend. Those people that always stride forward, the ones that have been working ever since birth, they can't stand that little word. It can crush a person's soul for good, sending some driven to madness, and they'll do even more stupid decisions that lead top the same result: failure.

I noticed the same result for certain people, especially for Jet. When Sonic beat him the first time at the Ex World Grand Prix, it the crushed the hawk. Sure, he placed up a strong front to have Sonic believe he was okay, but the failure was eating him up inside. Heck, even it goes for Eggman. A new scheme every couple of weeks, and Sonic defeats him, sending him to even more desperate measures. Notice a pattern? I did, whenever someone gets defeated and fails, they'll try even harder to become the winner, to be victorious.

For this case, my case, failure was not an option. If I tasted defeat with my head plowed into the ground, Rodrigo would take control of everything. Lives would be sacrificed for nothing, but I wouldn't allow that happen. Not today. Besides, he kissed my forehead. There's no way I'm letting him get away free with that!

Rodrigo launched himself at me, dashing towards me with his Dark Ark. I quickly retaliated with my sword, blocking his scythe. Managing to parry him off, I elbow him in the face and landed a quick jab to his left temple. The Babylon demon stumbled backwards, but there was still time for me to strike. Aiming my sword right at his heart, I made a wild stab. Rodrigo suddenly activated his Ark, slamming me to the ground so he could recover.

Activating my own Ark, I refused the gravity back to normal, but I wasn't swift enough to avoid Rodrigo's boot slamming into my back. Crying out, I slashed wildly at the back of his boot, cutting through the leather. Just as Rodrigo was about to impale with his scythe, I stabbed my sword straight through his shin. Rodrigo grimaced, hissing in agony and hobbled back. I flew up, slightly petrified at the tiny blood droplets dripping down his leg. Rodrigo kicked both of his boots off, revealing that his entire feet were covered in the white flames tattoos.

"Man, are you obsessed with those Lunars or what?" I snickered as Rodrigo's leg limped backwards.

"At least I have someone to fight for," he snarled.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I demanded. "I got the Babylon Rogues, the Chaotix, Raine-!"

"Raine? Oh, the butterfly! Something very…unfortunate should be happening to her right about now," Rodrigo sniggered cruelly.

"What are you talking about? What do you mean?"

Rodrigo snapped his fingers as though on cue, a legion of Slifers appeared behind him through a black hole. There were about twenty or thirty of them, all hunting for blood and the lust of the battle. Rodrigo ordered something to them in the Babylonian language, and they grunted with affirmation. Taking to their bony, bat-like wings, they bolted back through the black hole to do whatever he commanded.

"Where are they going, Rodrigo?" I demanded angrily, biting my lip nervously, trying to control my malice.

"They're just going to have some fun with Raine," Rodrigo chuckled, "but don't worry. I didn't ask them to brutally murder her, just rough her up and break a few bones if they want. If she has company, I ordered them to kill anyone else, but her."

"You! How can you just speak so calmly about something like that?!" I shrieked.

"You learn to live with it," Rodrigo cooed arrogantly. "People adapt without being so stubborn. You'll learn to live without that little broad."

"Oh? And what about Vannoza?"

"I have nothing to say to you about her!"

His words finally sunk into my brain, sending goosebumps crawling along my arms. The very thought and prospect that Raine could actually _die_ was too overwhelming to understand. I shuddered, remotely glancing back at the blood dripping down Rodrigo's leg. Finding my shivering amusing, Rodrigo wasted no time chortling at me. Brought back to reality, I snarled at him, immediately charging foolishly.

Rodrigo sneered, immediately plowing me backwards with a DG Beam. I yelped, managing to reverse it with my own Ark. Rodrigo, skilled with gravity moves, returned the gravity to normal with a flick of his wrist. He was far superior with gravity-typed moves, but I remembered that his physical strength was lacking. Quickly, I lunged at him with my sword, attempting to cut his Ark off his wrist, but the crow caught on and actually caught my sword with one hand.

His blood, stained dark red, slithered down his arm and down my arm. I froze, eyes widening at the amount of blood. My hemophobia rushed back almost instantly as Rodrigo suddenly released my sword and stared at his bloodied hand. Still trying to overcome my inability, I tried to ignore the blood, but the raw stench was too powerful.

"A fear of blood," Rodrigo stated coldly. "I overheard that in your conversation with Raine."

"You stalk me, too?" I whined.

"Shut up, brat! It's just very interesting to know, especially since my blood is poisonous. Remember Cantarella?"

Cantarella was a sweet poison like a tainted honey. It was would in secret, and the victim wouldn't even know it was there until it was too late. Storm was paralyzed by it with he faced Cannon, but as long as he didn't indegist it, he'd be safe. Thankfully, he didn't. Clamping my mouth shut, I immediately felt relief gush through my body since I didn't have any open wounds.

Rodrigo suddenly punched me square in my gut, rendering me astonished. Holding my stomach in pain, I let out weak cries of pain, but Rodrigo took no time in bashing me. He slammed his fist across my face and continuously beat down on me until my body smashed into the ground. I felt blood exit my nose, and I almost believed my nose was broken. Rodrigo suddenly exposed his talons, intent of ripping my entrails out and shredding them to bits. Insanity shown bluntly in his eyes like a dull flashlight.

"No more last words," Rodrigo sneered. "I've given you too many tries for that anyway! Die!"

I clenched my eyes shut, knowing there was no escape from this. My inevitable fate awaited…

"_Goddamit! How many rooms have been through?!_"

Rodrigo's talons slammed a few inches moved away from my head. I winced as he slowly removed his hand and we both turned to stare at the ceiling.

"B-Boss, please calm down!" the voice, identified as Storm, entreated as Jet's snarls became audible.

"We've been through at least forty different rooms with freaks that look like us! What the fu-!" Rodrigo quickly covered my ears as Jet let loose a rampage of curses. If this were a television reality show, Jet's would've had a censor bar taped onto his beak.

"Why?! Why does God hate me, Storm?! First, Dad's not a murderer! We find more freaks that look like us with weird demi-god snakes and a swallow with a cigar and a greedy, ugly brown hedgehog that tried to swindle me out of my money to name a few! And my girlfriend's dead! What else can go wrong?!" Jet screamed, pounding on the ground like a little child throwing a tantrum.

"Uh, um, a-at least Disney World hasn't been blown up!" Storm jeered, sweating bullets. "You know how you love Disney! Eh, heh heh."

Jet turned his head at Storm, ceasing his blunt cries. "Oh, yeah! Disney World! I love Disney! Storm, take me to Disney World!"

"Um, don't you care that the world could be destroyed at any given moment?" Storm questioned.

"I don't care! Disney World!" Jet pouted.

"Is it your time of month again?" Storm joked.

"Screw, Storm! You're not getting your paycheck this month!"

"You never pay me! You haven't paid me for the last three years!"

"…So?"

Taking Jet and Storm's distraction to my advantage, I scrambled for my sword and slashed at Rodrigo's hand. The crow yelped, dropping his scythe. Kicking him in the chest, I drive my skull into his chest, effectively knocking him down. Rodrigo was about to stand when I pounded my recently acquired shield into his forehead and forced him down. Placing my sword's tip at his forehead, I smirked.

"I wonder who is waiting for you down there," I snickered.

"Hm, fool," Rodrigo pleasantly stated.

Suddenly, I noticed that Rodrigo's eyes glew slime green even brighter than before, almost anxiously. That's when the sweet-smelling poison, Cantarella, hit me hard. I wiped my nose, finding it had been mixed with Rodrigo's blood, his tainted poison. I froze, feeling all of my muscles cease in fuctioning. I collapsed to my knees, but they saw gave way, and I was on my back. The paralysis swiftly invaded my body, rendering me completely useless. My sword and shield clattered out of my hands, landing besides me like they were marking my grave.

Rodrigo humbly stood, giving a flourished bow as though he were praising me. Silently grasping my sword, the demonic crow slothily swung it around, mocking me. Deviously smirking, Rodrigo knelt down by me, his voice grower lower and deadlier as he stabbed my sword inches from my neck.

"You know, Charmy, I haven't really told you something that I wanted to for a long time," Rodrigo sneered.

"What? You love me? Sorry, I don't swing for pedophilic old birds," I joshed.

"No, I was just thinking how alike we are," Rodrigo snapped, slowly dragging my sword closer to my neck.

"We are not alike!"

"We are. The same soul, the same eyes, the same vengeful nature," Rodrigo pointed out, raising his fingers for each identical stat. "We both lost loved ones and gained new ones in the process. We're afraid of each other." Rodrigo leaned closer, his voice coming closer as I could only see his headfeathers. "We fear each other because if one dies, we both die. You have my eye, and I have your's. We're alike, Charmy, you can't resist my offer because you want it in your soul. You want this world to fall under the control of our souls!"

"You're insane," I quickly interjected. "Absolutely insane. You're worse than Bean!"

Rodrigo said nothing, but just smirked. Somewhere through my doubts, he was right. We had some similarities, but we were both different people. Different blood, mind, and heart. Our souls may have been intertwined, but dreams and memories would always fall under metaphoric catagories.

I gasped, gagging on my own blood that spurted out from my mouth. Blood began to well up in my throat like bile resisting to be freed, coating my teeth. The Cantarella was kicking in, and I thought my inner organs were on fire, churning and twisting endlessly. If I twitched my fingers, it was like a lightning bolt surged throughout my ribcage. Rodrigo sat next to me as I let out a cry of agony, resting his chin on his palm.

"Excellent! I like seeing my victims distort themselves in sheer pain," Rodrigo maliciously said, cupping my face with his other hand to make me look at him. "It's rather amusing and fun to watch their dying faces. It brings out their true colors, but you wear your expressions so vividly. It's like an innocence brought into hell."

I squeezed my eyes shut, only adding more fuel to the fire of my distraught. I pleaded with whatever god there was to end my pain, even death would've been suitable. Though, somewhere in my pain came a cry to go on and live. It sounded familiar, feminine in a high pitched, yet extremely cocky tone, but at that moment there was no time to decipher messages from my mind.

Lifting my arm proved to be even a tougher challenge than facing Rodrigo. It was like rocks were blocking me from getting up, and my paralysis only grew stronger as I struggled to get up. Rodrigo's eyes widened, shouting that I was a fool for trying to stand. The drive to overcome burned hotly in my chest, banishing the cold poison to the farthest corners of my body. Pain would always be existing, but the goal remained in clear sight as I glowered at Rodrigo. With a grunt, I managed to re-activate my wings, and each flutter proved painful, but worth the effort as I hovered off the ground.

"You told…me two years…ago that…Cantarella…wasn't a…deadly poison," I panted, "but…a paralysis one. Al…though…it proved…to be really…strong enough for me…to almost die…"

"You…you should be immobolized and near death! My blood went inside of you! It should've sent a powerful poison to stop all of your body functions" Rodrigo cried. "Everyone says I'm a demon, but you truly are a monster!"

"I just have the will…to move forward, Rodrigo," I coughed, blood dribbling down my chin. Gaining my strength back, I wiped my chin free of his stained blood, shouting, "I don't hold onto the past, regretting every wrong choice or bad thing that's happened to me. That's where we differ: I move forward, while you cling to the past!"

Raising my Light Ark, I watched as it glowed a galliant white. It surged through my body, destroying my agony and pain like it killed the poison inside of me. Rodrigo seemed shocked, or it was a perfected feigned act. The crow gulped before narrowing his eyes, his Dark Ark glowing pure black, covering the metal.

He made the first, desperate move by summoning another DG Beam at me that I countered by using a Gravity Dive. With top speeds, I snatched my shield from the ground and impaled Rodrigo over the head with it. Turning back, I divebombed straight for his head, landing a quick sting to his left temple. The crow cried out, but recovered when he used his own Gravity Dive. We continued to slam into each other, hoping the other would back down in some sort of way. However, Rodrigo smirked, halting his Gravity Dive as I ventured on at hypersonic speeds.

"Gravity Syndrome!" Rodrigo roared.

I gasped. "Only the Master Ark can do that!"

"It never hurts to be a genius!" Rodrigo cheered.

My body suddenly constricted as Rodrigo raised his Ark into the air. I was the puppet, bent to his will as he slammed his hand downwards, and I plummetted several feet. I cried out on contact, but he wasn't down. He slammed me into the walls, the ground and ceilings. A single thought struck me as I slammed into the ceiling with one of my ribs broken…

"_What the hell are Jet and Storm doing?!"_ I mentally screamed as I heard Storm's stomping footsteps overhead. _"Ugh, screw them! I gotta get outta this, but his gravity control is like perfected! Wait, gravity control, huh?"_

My Ark glew once more as Rodrigo's gravity around me made it nearly bearable to writhe. A black hole appeared beneath me just as Rodrigo was about to drop me onto the floor. I landed safely inside, countering and cutting his control off. The crow gasped, frantically looking around for me when I slammed my heel into the side of his head. Reappearing from my black hole, I lunged for my sword and shield, propping them on like a knight.

"It seems…that you are intent on thwarting everything I do," Rodrigo muttered just loud enough for me to hear. His voice seemed wavering, on the edge of breaking like frail glass.

"Of course! You're the crazy one trying to conquer the planet!" I retorted with determination.

"Two years ago, I blew your wings apart…" Rodrigo murmured. He slowly raised his head, a sickening Dark Chao-like grin plastered on his beak insanely. "Let's do that again."

Suddenly, a black hole appeared behind me. Twin DG Beams plowed through my wings before I could even turn around. A gape erupted on my face, plastering horror into a large 'O'. The force of the beams plowed me to the ground, and I couldn't even stand. I was so used to my wings, that I nearly lost balance. Both of the beams left two scars of blood on my side, gushing out whimisically like it had a mind of its own. Like last time, a kaleidoscope of flashbacks rushed back through my head from my family, the Chaotix, the Babylon Rogues, the Sonic Heroes, and even all the enemies that I faced. The fragmented images seemed the world to me for a few moments before the blood loss began sinking in. I gasped, feeling my life come out in the pant.

Rodrigo leapt to his feet like an eager child. He ran over to me, smiling wickedly at my bloodied frame. With a quivering hand, Rodrigo actually stroked my head like a cat, ripping my helmet off. He smashed it against the ground next to me, and all I could do was helplessly watch as it bounced a few feet away. He grabbed my small ponytail, holding me up so he could get a good, hard observation at my pitiful, near-dead form.

"So, this is the true you in the look of imminent death," Rodrigo murmured coldly. "It's stunning how blood brings out the things we never think about."

"You…you…" I gasped, blood staggering through my tongue and out my of lips. "Demon!"

"I perfer the term 'god', but they're almost the same thing," Rodrigo replied casually.

"You…are n-no…g-god," I managed to stammer as my life seemed to wither away. "Messed u-up, Rodrigo…"

"Who? You?" Rodrigo scoffed sarcastically with a pleasant grin. "Like that's imaginable."

"If I-I d-die, so…do you," I smirked as my eyelids lowered. "Th-that's what Vannoza proclaimed."

"I know," Rodrigo lowly said. "She lied, doing exactly what I asked her to do. The reason our eyes swapped was because we were getting extremely close with our souls. In fact…" Rodrigo hesitated, and I strained myself to hear him. "In fact, I believed we were friends. You were the closest thing I had to a friend."

The mere word continued to repeat in my head. Friends? Rodrigo thought we were friends? I never really thought of him like that. A comrade, a pal, a buddy, an amigo. All synonyms for that one one: friend. I just stared at him with almost blank eyes, but somehow, I found a smile appear on my face.

"M-maybe…some other t-time, s-some future, we could've been r-really good friends," I muttered.

"But now the times are different, and the gods of Babylon are praising me." Rodrigo gently grasped his scythe, raising it in the air. "Goodbye, Prince Charmy Bee! This time, I win!"

Using the last of my fragmented strength, I blasted a LG Beam into Rodrigo's face. The crow screamed, releasing me as I plopped to the floor on my bottom. Even sitting was painful! Rodrigo flew backwards, crashing into the wall. His head crashed backwards with a sickening _crack_, and I thought his skull had shattered on contact. Rodrigo's arm slapped the wall, signifying he was alive.

I flinched as his Ark began to shower with a dark, repulsive energy. I immediately recognized the aura as Cesare's that surfed and snaked around his body, coveting his arms and chest like a miniature cyclone. Suddenly, the aura stabbed right into his chest like a sharpened arrow. Rodrigo winced, breathing through clenched teeth as he absorbed the aura inside of him. Once the aura was completely gone, both of his eyes changed to a silver color like his son's. Without warning, two large wings sprouted from his back being made of a pure black crystal. His talons grew exceptionally longer, sharper and so did the ones on his feet. Viens popped up by his eyes, making him appear bloodshot or that he had just recovered from a massive hangover.

"See me as I am, no longer afraid of anybody!" Rodrigo bellowed, taking to the skies with energy pulsating from his pores.

I froze, mouth widened in abrupt horror and one thought rushed through my head: _"I'm screwed."_

---

Psyko's knives slashed through the last Slifer. The wolf panted, wiping beaded sweat off his brow. Kiba settled her baseball bat over her shoulder as Somatic sheathed his machete. Raine pocketed a few of his potions, having given some of the Slifers stomach viruses, hernias, and bloodworms. The Slifers had destroyed the Extreme Gear Cesare loaned the Wolf Twins, but now that he was dead, it wouldn't matter. Psyko glanced over his shoulder to Raine.

"Know what this means?" he asked quietly.

"No?" she replied nervously.

"Rodrigo has set us off course," Somatic growled. "He set these guys after us as a distraction. We've been had, dammit!"

"Calm down, Somatic," Kiba warned, kicking a Slifer in the face that dared tried attack her. As the Slifer was soon impaled by her nail-ridden bat, she added, "How do we get to anyone now?"

"All we can do is get back to the group in the Digital Dimension," Psyko sighed. "It's our only option left."

"I won't leave Charmy!" Raine proclaimed. "He needs help!"

"He didn't need your help last time," Psyko argued. "Charmy's a big boy, he can beat Rodrigo."

"No! I don't care! I want to be with him!" Raine cried.

"You'll get hurt or worse," Somatic warned.

"Ha! Way to go, girl! Raine, follow your heart," Kiba urged.

Raine turned her head back to the panda, staring at her with hope. The Wolf Twins gaped as the butterfly asked them where the fight was being held at. Somatic gave in, stating that our battle was being held in the laboratory I was captured in. Raine nodded happily, mouthing her thanks to Kiba before flying off.

"How can she just be so reckless?" Pysko demanded as the trio began to walk down the stairs.

"You aren't a girl. A woman in love would do anything for her man," Kiba stated warmly.

"Guess you're right," Psyko responded with a grin as his blind twin nodded.

---

**A demonic transformation corrupts Rodrigo with a weakened Charmy on the verge of death! Can Charmy muster up the last of his strength and kill Rodrigo? Or will the other way around occur with a blood bath? Will Raine get to Charmy in time or will another death happen? Find out in the next Rogue's Bee!**


	29. The Premonition of War pt 3

R.I.P: Michael Jackson: 1958-2009.

Note: This chapter was slightly inspired by Archie's Sonic 200.

Characters © Respected Owners

---

Ch. 28: The Premonition of War pt. 3

Subtitle: That guy has a really tiny middle finger.

The final word I hate is regret. It's a downer word that churns at your stomach and brings pangs to your heart. Every time I think about that day where I faced Rodrigo, I never recovered. It brought so much pain to me, and whenever I think about it, it just sucks to place it on the table. The flashbacks that came to my mind would bring only headaches and throbs against my heart. Sometimes, I wondered if I made the right decision that fateful day, but I continuously bickered with my mind to trick it, to say that I was right. After all, Rodrigo…

Well, what could be said about him? That he was insane, evil, and a bit of a pedophile? He kissed my forehead, mind you. Or maybe I misunderstood his intentions when I was in the past. Maybe Rodrigo was trying to save Babylon from a "corrupted and tainted" monarchy. Perhaps, the entire time I was in the past, he trying to be the hero, and I ruined everything, turning him into what he was: a demon.

Oh, WTF am I talking about? Rodrigo was born psychotic. It's not like there's anything I could've done about it.

"Wait a second!" I shouted, feeling the blood loss suddenly start kicking in.

"What now?" Rodrigo whined, rolling his eyes.

"So, you're saying, that you need some freaky super powerful…you to beat me, and I'm about to lose consciousness?" I questioned, panting heavily as I gripped my left side to halt the blood flow. "And you probably named yourself something really stupid, like, I dunno, Demon Rodrigo?"

"How'd you know that?!" Rodrigo demanded.

"…Are you serious? I got your name right? Dang, you're terrible at naming anything! I feel bad for your kids since their names suck!"

"Demon" Rodrigo paused, a sweatdrop coming from the back of his head. Smirking, I realized that I had made him angry enough that he would simply scratch the back of his head bemusedly. Taking off my pilot's vest, I wrapped it around my sides like a tourniquet. Coughing blood into my hand, I ripped my gloves off, exposing my orange flames that covered my entire hands.

"It's over, it can finally be over," Rodrigo murmured, raising his right hand into the air. "One final blast, you die, and then I'll be the victor. I win!"

A collection of dark gravity appeared in his hand, streaming upwards towards the ceiling slowly. Rodrigo's grin only grew wider as Storm's footsteps suddenly halted with a lighter thud hitting the ground. Storm was crying out to Jet who had fallen to his knees apparently, but I didn't know why.

"First, allow me to take care of the Solar Scum up there, especially that accursed prince," Rodrigo growled. "Babylon Pulse!"

The black lightning bolt, surrounded by light blue energy streamed upwards, slicing through the ceiling. I screamed at to Jet and Storm, hoping they could hear me over the roar of the thunder. Two cries punctured my hearing, making me fall as the rubble clattered around me. Rodrigo waited, staring at the hole before his crystallized wings flapped, and he dashed up into the ceiling, making the hole even larger when he crashed through it. I couldn't since that demonic avian destroyed my wings. Again.

"You! You took the hit?!" Rodrigo shrieked.

A few moments passed with silence following. That's when it happened, and all hell broke loose. Storm's body toppled down through the hole, creating a hole a few feet away from me. Jet screamed, launching himself at Rodrigo with his fans out. Tears coated his face as he randomly and rapidly at Rodrigo, but the crow merely caught both of his fists, throwing into the ground. Jet didn't move, but he groaned and soon lost consciousness.

"S-Storm!" I cried, limping towards him.

The albatross in mention was breathing heavily, taking in whatever oxygen he could. He was holding his chest, but the small leaks of blood plopped through his fingers. Weakly, Storm grinned up at me, gurgling in an attempt to chuckle.

"I…I j-just need some…s-sleep…I'll-I'll wake up s-soon…" Storm muttered quietly before his head slumped onto the ground. Soon, I could hear his soft snoring, and I thanked whatever God or gods there were for him just being alive.

Rodrigo hovered behind me, placing his scythe by my neck. "Heh, what an absolute fool. He shoved Jet out of the way just before the bolt struck. It pierced almost straight through him, probably broke a few ribs or something."

"Is…is this still a game?" I demanded.

"Pardon?"

I slowly turned to glare at him, veins grasping my head. "You said this was a game, a tie two years ago. You said I hurt you, I ruined your life." My arms twitched, and my lower lip trembled. Chewing on it to stop, I continued harshly, "But you, you took my family away! You took my Chaotix! You used me to kill Wave, and your own family hated you! I suffered way more than you did!"

In a blind, furious rage, I lashed my sword at Rodrigo, but he simply snatched it once more. Rodrigo just stared down at me, eyes rather morbid and ripped the top of the blade clean of my sword. Only a hilt remained intact. Rodrigo smirked, reeling his fist back and slammed me straight in my gut. I sputtered, hacking up blood as the crow held me up by my tarnished wings.

"You've suffered? Cute whining you had going there. Yet, I only wanted to bring salvation and a glimmer of hope to Babylon," Rodrigo stated coldly. "On the other hand, you ruined everything. One of you little punks that were there that day informed the Babylon Guard, defeating the Lunars, and-!"

"Wait, you singled me out? Ya know, you could've gone after Gemini, Damien, and whoever else was there," I interjected.

"I could've, but there was a catch," Rodrigo growled. "You defeated me with that rat of a prince Stolen, sending me to isolation with Vannoza. I cannot forgive you for that!"

I winced, reluctantly coming to terms that I did get him exiled. Rodrigo smirked at my guilty expression, slapping my shield out of my other hand. With his free hand, Rodrigo consolidated a large amount of black energy, chanting in the Babylon language.

"No more last words, just kill him," Rodrigo muttered, and I noticed that his words had been slurred slightly. "Die! Retribution Spike!"

The ball formed into a spear-like object, and Rodrigo stabbed it straight through my chest. I gasped, eyes widening in utmost horror. This was it, there were no more second or third chances at life. Everything was over. I felt my life start to rapidly slip away as I slumped over into Rodrigo's chest. His sick laughter filtered the air, upstaging my quiet breaths.

"I won! Yes, me! The world will now bend to my will!" Rodrigo screamed, soon followed by a belt of devilish laughter.

The blood was coming out of a hole in my chest, and I knew I would die. There was absolutely no question, no argument, nothing. Everything faded in and out like I was suffocating. Grey colors flooded my vision, blocking out all shades and tints of color. I managed to get a final glance at Storm's unconscious form before my eyes finally closed.

"_It's…all over. I lose," _I thought.

Heh, you thought I was going to die, right? Well, you're wrong! A miracle occurred at that very moment. A pulse of light cut on my Ark, making Rodrigo's laughter abruptly halt. My Light Gravity Ark suddenly removed itself from my wrist and floated in the air. Rodrigo attempted to snatch it, but it released another bright white light, blinding him. He dropped me to the ground, taking to the skies with his crystallized wings. My eyes fluttered open, seeing the Ark hover, and a voice rang out.

"_Hey there, looks I could help you out," _the Ark said kindly. An image of a raspberry colored short dog with bronze eyes with a little white mohawk with a matching tail and chest and translucent turquoise wings on his back and a green bauble on his neck.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked weakly, almost passed out.

"_My real name is Light Gaia, but call me Chip! That's what Sonic nicknamed me. Anyway, I had no idea Rodrigo used my blood along with my brother, Dark Gaia's, blood. Really not fair. Let me see what I can do,"_ Chip mentally chuckled. _"After all, I am the guardian of light, day, and rebirth."_

"What the hell?! You shouldn't have found out about that, Light Gaia!" Rodrigo roared, his Dark Ark pulsing with evil. "Accursed mutt, you should be deep within the Earth's core!"

"_You took a sample of my blood and my brother's! There's no way you can get away with that!" _Chip proclaimed. _"You're using my brother's power, that's how you got that new form!"_

Facing me, the tangible chihuahua placed a hand to my forehead, but I couldn't feel it since he was like a hologram. Chip grinned, and the green bauble on his chest illuminated. I thought Chip was similar to an angel in this situation. His light had actually started to heal my wounds. The skin that was sliced and torn off was actually reappearing in a light green light. My blood wasn't pouring out anymore due to the new skin and tissue. On my back, I felt incredibly relieved to find my wings back, longer and stronger with a brighter light blue. With a cheery grin, Chip placed the Ark back onto my wrist once he was done healing me.

"_Well, all I can really do heal you, but it should be good enough. You're all better now!"_ Chip grinned, rubbing the back of his head. In his other hand was a chocolate bar. _"If I were actually there, I'd give this to you."_

"No need. Thank you, Chip," I gratefully said, grinning widely.

"_One last thing," _Chip stated, making me blink. _"Time for your own super form to be awakened again."_

Chip's bauble glowed once more along with my Light Ark. I gasped, feeling power rush through me. Rodrigo screamed in outrage, attempting to attack, but I created a barrier around Chip and I with gravity. Warmth erupted in my chest as power was shared from Chip and I. My eyes lowered as a white light began to trail along my arms as Rodrigo shouted defiantly outside. Suddenly, my eyes began to change from amber and violet to vermillion. All the black stripes turned to a dark lemon with my already yellow stripes brighter than ever. My ponytail also shot upwards, spiking upwards like a recently sharpened sword. Golden Charmy was in the house.

Chip turned around to face Rodrigo, shaking his head angrily. He has used the last of his powers to allow me access to my dormant super form. Chip's form began to dim, and he actually did the unexpected: He flipped Rodrigo off and than disappeared completely.

I burst into laughter at Rodrigo's reddening face. The crow grasped his headfeathers like he was trying to rip them off. He snarled, facing me as I beamed up at me, snatching my shield.

"That doesn't matter. No, no, it doesn't matter," Rodrigo murmured frantically. "Just kill him. Make him disappear."

"Stop talking to yourself and fight!" I cheered. "Super me wants some revenge!"

Time for some epicness.

Rodrigo roared, launching himself at me with his talons extended. He made a wild grab for me, but I leaped over his head, leap-frog style. Kicking him square in the back of his head, I clapped my hands together and formed a massive ball of white energy and threw it straight at the crow. Rodrigo winced, barely avoiding it, but his left arm was severely burned. The crow shrieked, staring at his burnt arm and glowered darkly. Rodrigo wasted no time firing several Gravity Beams that weren't tainted with darkness. Easily, I avoided them with my stronger wings and charged straight at him.

Clenching my fist, I slammed Rodrigo right across the face, and he sailed into the ground. Rodrigo growled, hoping to his feet and flapped his wings. He charged straight at me, and I noticed that his eyes' slits grew longer along with his sneer. Rodrigo's talons were suddenly wrapped around with black mist as he slashed at me, almost nicking me. He tried again, but this time, he managed to slash my cheek. I winced, rubbing my cheek since it stung.

I created a black hole, flying straight through it, and Rodrigo imitated me like a Simon Says game. I came out first, dashing out like the bee I am, but Rodrigo was quick to follow. He fired another DG Beam, but I countered with my LG Beam. They collided, but I pressed even further with the power Chip loaned me, crushing Rodrigo. He cried out as the beam penetrated through his wing. Falling to the ground like an angel that didn't belong, Rodrigo's body slammed into the ground, creating a tiny crater.

I breathed heavily, unsure of what to do since Rodrigo wasn't moving. Cautiously, I lowered myself to the crater, peering inside. It wasn't a pretty sight to say the least. His right leg was twisted like it was broken, and his body was littered in cuts. I grimaced to find his eyes closed, presuming he was dead.

Of course, nothing goes according to what I want to think. Rodrigo's hand twitched, balling into a fist. His eyes shot straight open, glaring daggers at me. I flinched, backing up as Rodrigo slowly got back to his feet. He twitched at the pain surging in his leg and slammed his fist into the twisted part of his leg before ripping it back to place. Cracks ruptured through the still air as he howled with pain.

"N-no…c-can't, won't, gah!" Rodrigo cried.

"H-hey, Rodrigo?!" I stammered as the demonic crow stared at me with dilated pupils.

"Retribution Spike! Retribution Spike!" Rodrigo screamed, unleashing two spears of dark energy at me.

I flew up into the air, watching as the spears collide with each other and explode. I blinked in confusion, but Rodrigo hand cupped my throat. A gleam of insanity was vivid in his eyes as he started to chuckle. Rodrigo pulled out his scythe and slammed it down at my head, but with my newfound super form, I snatched the scythe. It was time for a little revenge as I ripped the top of the scythe's blade clean off. Rodrigo gasped, growling that he had stolen that scythe, but I couldn't make out from who.

"No, no, no! I forbid you!" Rodrigo yelped, staring at the stump of his scythe. "End it all, end him…"

"Talking to yourself must be a really bad habit for ya," I sniggered. "You've been doing it throughout this entire fight. You losing your mind or something?"

"J-ju-just a bee! A stupid bee! A mere child!"

Rodrigo threw his scythe to the ground, lunging at me again. I smirked as Rodrigo fired a DG Beam at me, crying out as he did so. Rodrigo refused to stand down, blasting even more with invulnerability. Forming a black hole, I calmly hid inside of it as the beams were dejected inside, disintegrating due to the amount of light energy. Beads of sweat dripped down the sides of his face as I popped back out with a welcoming wave.

"It's cozy in there," I jeered as the black hole vanished. "Maybe I should make a little clubhouse in there."

"You're n-not taking me s-seriously…" Rodrigo grunted as I faced him with my arms behind my head.

"Honestly, Rodrigo, once you started talking to yourself…" I shrugged. "You're losing your mind."

Rodrigo's features tightened like they were wrapped in plastic. The devious crow began to twitch violently as his crystallized wings took to the skies once more. I did the same, knowing that he would have the advantage if I remained on the ground hovering. Rodrigo's face turned completely emotionless like a piece of blank paper. He formed another Retribution Spike, but didn't fire it, keeping it in one hand as he launched several DG Beams.

"This is getting old, Rodrigo!" I pouted, easily avoiding them.

"Fell for it," Rodrigo murmured coldly.

"Huh?!"

"Final plan, final plan's in action! I win!" Rodrigo screamed insanely.

The supposed Retribution Spike began to grow into a massive ball created by pure evil energy and gravity. I froze, mouth dropped against the floor comically. I fluttered back to the ground, completely in shock. Rodrigo raised both of his arms into the air, his chest heaving upwards. Sparks of the energy pulsed outwards like small bullets, popping out and nearly striking me. Rodrigo grunted, his entire body writhing in pleasure and stress.

"You remember this?!" Rodrigo exclaimed, glaring down at me. "Gravity Death! All my power goes into this! You don't stand a ghost of a chance!"

"No new tricks, Rodrigo? You have to resort to an old scheme?" I belligerently snapped.

"Last time, I had the Shadow Form the depleted my power, but no more! Kill the bee! Kill him!" Rodrigo shrieked crazily.

"_Yep, he's gone,"_ I thought with a blink.

Rodrigo roared, reeling himself backwards and unleashing the massive ball of destruction. I watched the impending doom before catching a glimpse of Storm's unconscious form. I had a flashback of when he saved me from death when I had given up all hope. That was how we met, and how I joined the Babylon Rogues when he saved from falling onto the concrete city streets of South Island. I could pay him back by saving him right now.

As the ball was ready to absorb me, I raised my Light Ark into the air, aimed directly at the ball. Calming my mind, I placed all of my will and strength into the Light Ark. It gave off another pulse of light once the ball collided with me.

"He's dead! I won! I won!" Rodrigo cheered, laughing like the mad man, well, bird, he was. "It's over!"

Suddenly, the ball dissipated, and Rodrigo immediately stopped. The ball was being absorbed into my Light Ark. I grunted, keeping my arm steady as the destructive energy was being taken into my Ark. Some of it slashed my arms, cutting me as my super form began to dim away. With a grunt, I managed to absorb the entire Gravity Death into my Light Ark. Sighing, I flopped to the ground in my normal form, panting heavily since it was too strenuous on me.

Rodrigo flopped to his knees, reverting to his normal form. The crystallized wings sunk into his back with a few of them actually falling off. His eyes were wide and in complete shock. He flopped face forward, trying to get back up as I flew over to him with a victorious grin.

"Well, Rodrigo, it was fun while it lasted," I giggled. "Though, you did put up a good fight, I win."

That's when everything went to hell again. Rodrigo started grunting, making me step back instinctively. Suddenly, Rodrigo threw his head back up and screamed at the top of his lungs, his left eye twitching with his fingers stretched to their farthest extent. I thought he would never stop as the screaming got even shriller. Rodrigo sloppily got to his feet, hands gripping at his four headfeathers, two in each hand. With another scream, he actually ripped them off, leaving stumps of feathers for the top.

"Honey! Ugh! Bee! Grah! Hate! No!" Rodrigo grunted, trying to hit me.

"Um, stupid? H-hey! Rodrigo!" I cried, ducking his swing.

"Charmy?"

I turned to find Jet call out to me, equally disturbed at Rodrigo's ranting. Raine was tending to Storm's chest wound, but I was too concerned with Rodrigo. He fell to the ground, pounding his fists into the ground and sobbing.

"What did you do to him?" Jet asked quietly. "I got knocked out by his attack, but this…"

"I…I just beat him…" I replied nervously. "He, well, I don't really know, Jet."

"You didn't just beat him, Charmy, you broke him," Raine explained. "If you look back on his history, he really is a genius with the Arks of the Cosmos, the Extreme Gear, and he even helped create the spaceship, Babylon Garden. All the planning, all the plots, they were all unraveled because of you."

Everything seemed to make sense. Raine's explanation kicked into my mind, filling all of the cracks. Storm slowly rose to his feet, thanking the butterfly girl for her expertise in medicine and medical advances. The hole in his chest was gone, wrapped up in bandages across his body. I glanced at Rodrigo's crying form, restlessly slamming his body around like a child with a temper tantrum.

"Heh! Well, at least this entire tragedy can be over," Jet sighed. "Though, I do wish that Wave…" He cut himself off, glancing away sadly.

"About Wave, Jet I'm sorry," I murmured. "I didn't do it, ya know. Anti Me did the dirty work, and all I did was just get hurt in the end."

"No sweat, kid. You weren't involved," Jet grinned, rubbing my head.

"After all, Charmy, you beat Rodrigo!" Storm jeered as Raine hugged me.

"Yeah, I guess I did!" I laughed.

For the third time, everything went back to hell. Rodrigo's head snapped up at to stare at the back of Jet's head. He mumbled something incoherent with his bloodshot eyes narrowed. I glanced back at him as he swaggered to his feet, slurring something offensive.

"Solars! Solars! Kill the sovereign! Die, Stolen!" Rodrigo slurred, snatching my ruined sword.

Time slowed down almost to a stop. Jet barely registered what was going on as he turned around. Rodrigo was charging, poised to kill as he swung my sword down. Without thinking, I shoved Jet out of the way, taking the hit for him as the sword's edge stabbed deep into my chest, centimeters over my heart. Blood spurted out from my chest as he ripped my sword back out. Ruefully, I snatched my sword back and sliced Rodrigo's neck, cutting straight through his jugular vein. Rodrigo was dead before he hit the ground with blood gushing from his neck. The blood feud between the Solars and Lunars had finally ended.

"Charmy!" Raine screeched as I flopped onto my back.

"You saved me," Jet breathed, kneeling down to me.

"Y-your wound is pretty deep, but…" Storm stopped himself from going on, unsure of how to finish that sentence.

"I've lost…too much blood," I panted, holding my chest as my flames were stained crimson. "There's not… really any t-time for me…"

"No! I can save you!" Raine vowed. "Just shut up and stay still!"

"Raine, you used the last of your medicine and stuff on Storm, and my jacket has too much coagulated blood on it to be of any use," I pointed out. "There's…so much I wanna say."

"Don't talk, Charmy!" Storm cried.

"Storm!" Jet shouted, making the albatross flinch. "Let's listen to Charmy's last words."

"Jet, you're a really great leader, better than Vector and Espio combined. I don't really care about what anyone else says because your leadership is awesome! You're fast and so cool, and sometimes I wished I could be like you, without the laziness." I chuckled at Jet's fuming expression, but it softened to a dull smile. "Storm, I wouldn't be here today if you hadn't saved me. I'd given up on everything once the Chaotix were gone, but you were my angel. You saved my life, and I owe everything to you. Thank you." Storm wiped his eyes, nodding as visible tears were spilled. "Finally, you Raine, my sweet and mischievous butterfly. It may sound really strange from me, but I always felt happy around you like the way I am around flowers. I guess that's what love is."

"Love?" Raine repeated in shock.

I stroked her hair with my non-bloodied hand, smiling. "L-love you…" My hand slowly dropped as I felt my life start to slip away. My heartbeat began to dry out like it was in a desert without water for weeks. My eyes lowered until they closed with the images of my comrades and loved ones flooded in my head. With a limp roll of my head, I breathed my final gasp and lay to rest for eternity…

---

"No!" Raine screamed, holding my deceased body to her chest. "It's not fair! Why did this have to happen?!"

"I just…" Jet slammed his fists into the ground and slowly began to cry. "I just wanted to protect them! First it's my father, Cannon, than Wave and Charmy! They were innocent, they didn't deserve this fate!"

Storm was the one in most shock as Jet and Raine silently cried. The albatross fell to his bottom, staring blankly at the hole he fell through. His vision glazed over, colors swirling in a white mist. He couldn't believe any of this, and he tried to convince himself that he was dreaming. That is, until something clinked that brought him out of his thoughts. A golden lamp had fallen out of Jet's vest pocket with a red string attached. Suddenly, an idea struck him that was crazy enough to work.

"Guys, I think we can bring them back."

---

**Peace comes at prices that everyone must pay with the death of a true hero. What is Storm's idea? How will this affect the others? Stay tuned for the next Rogue's Bee!**


	30. Life Wish

Characters © Respected Owners

---

Ch. 29: Life Wish

Surrounding me was pure white. There were white walls, floor, ceiling, everything. Grimacing at the illuminating light, I weakly pushed myself off the ground. The silence echoed around the vacant room as I slowly flew off. The only noise was my humming as I drifted through, finding the loneliness kick in. Even though I saved everybody, it cost me my life, which was totally unfair.

That's when it hit me that I was dead. I could never see my friends again or Raine. If my heart was beating, it would be pounding so hard that it would become unbearable. I trembled, silently starting to cry into my arm. My pulses weren't beating, and I could only commend myself for saving the world.

Suddenly, a golden light pierced through the white walls, breaking it down. I clenched my eyes shut, unsure of what to do. Weakly opening my eyes, I stared in absolute shock. There was Wave the Swallow, dressed in a white angelic dress with, of all the people, Cannon Della Volpe the Falcon wearing his brown cloak. Unfortunately, the supposedly happy reunion was completely ruined when Wave punched me straight across the face.

"You little idiot! You killed me!" she screamed as Cannon held her back.

"It wasn't my fault!" I whined, holding my face in pain. "Rodrigo did it! He made Anti Me, and he killed you!"

"He technically was a part of you so it's your entire fault!" Wave argued.

"Oh, stop fighting, please," Cannon entreated, stepping between us. "Charmy, welcome to Heaven."

Peering away from Cannon, I found myself immersed in golden skies with cumulus clouds. Angels with soft, feathery wings flew around wearing similar costumes to Wave, but the guys had tunics. Halos crowned their heads with a golden yellow glow, clearly exposing their purity. I watched in awe as they fluttered around, happily chatting and going about their own business, even though they were dead.

"Let me show you two around," Cannon offered. A pair of angel wings sputtered onto his back as he snatched our hands. "Though, this is all you can see for now."

"And why is that?" Wave demanded curtly.

"Because I did not make it into Heaven at first," Cannon dryly explained. "For my actions of working with Rodrigo, I was forced into the Purgatory. When Rodrigo was killed the second time two years ago, I snuck out of the Purgatory because I heard a rumor from Hell that his children were planning on reviving him. I decided to get revenge for myself and foolishly attacked him, but Cesare stabbed, forcing me to be installed with the soul of my ancestor Tagio. There, the Council of Death decided to send me to Heaven."

"Awesome! You tried being a hero, and you stunk!" I jeered, making the falcon grunt in disdain.

"Thanks for that vote of confidence, totally helped my self-esteem," Cannon murmured.

"I bet it did," I replied, not noticing his sarcasm.

Cannon flew us through the skies with the wind slicing out face pleasantly. I noticed that like the other angels Cannon had the feathery wings and halo. I glanced up at the sky, now flourished with a sunset color. It was now with pink and orange hues, but the golden overtone was the brightest color of them all. Cannon took my attention from the sky when he slowly calm to a stop. A pair of white double doors with a silver knob was where Cannon had stopped.

"Sir, I've brought Wave and Charmy. May I enter?" Cannon asked, his voice silkily, yet oddly polite.

A grunt was heard from the inside, and Cannon shrugged at us. He opened the door cautiously, but quickly slammed in shut when the blade of a scythe nearly impaled him. The angel avian shuddered, stating that only Wave and I could enter. The swallow and I exchanged looks of clear fear as Cannon re-opened the door, leaving it open so he could listen. Wave stomped inside, muttering that she wanted her wrench back as I hovered behind her.

There stood a rather bony man with his face covered by a black hood that matched his robe. He held a scythe that strangely reminded me of Rodrigo's. His eyes were simple gleaming black holes, and his teeth were shockingly white and bright. Removing his hood with a grey gloved hand, his head was a mere skull: The Grim Reaper had arrived.

"Are you going to cut our heads off?" Wave whimpered, trying to bolster any sort of courage, but her knees continued to quake.

"No, I must commend you both for your bravery," the skeleton stated apprehensively. A taunting grin hugged at his "bony" features. "Though, watching you both die was equally amusing."

"If I had my wrench, you'd be in a ten year coma!" Wave threatened, clenching her fist.

"Hey, Mr. Reaper, why'd you bring us here?" I asked, diverting Wave's anger management issues for some other poor soul,

"Because it is not your time to die," the Grim Reaper replied earnestly. "The world still needs you, and as much as I hate giving second chances, or third chances for Charmy's sake…you are free to leave and return to the world of the living." He gestured for Cannon to enter, and the falcon did so. "The same goes for you."

"Me?" Cannon repeated in shock. "Why me?"

"That is, unless they don't screw up," he added malevolently.

"What do you mean by that?" Wave questioned.

The Grim Reaper said nothing, pulling over his scythe and slashed it. He created a rift in the room, exposing another room with white walls and furniture. I recognized that room as the place where I met Vector and Espio in the Purgatory with Tomo when I died the first time. There stood three figures that I didn't know, but Cannon and Wave seemed to jump at their presence. Tugging at Wave's arm, I questioned on who they were, but the swallow, for once, seemed tongue-tied.

"Accel, Mech, Thunder, please step through the rift and come in here," The Grim Reaper commanded, using both hands to rip the sides of the portal open.

A tall emerald hawk was the first to come in with teal eyes. He's headfeathers were exactly like Jet's, but he donned large black shoulder pads and a matching cape. Like the other angels, he donned the white tunic, feathery wings that were green and halo. The second was a purple swallow about the same height as the hawk with sharp blue eyes and a pair of spectacles. He had three headfeathers bunched up into a long ponytail that reached his lower back. He had the exact same angel costume as the first one, but without the cape or shoulder pads. The final one was a large, yet buff albatross with a bigger version of the tunic with beady blue eyes. His headfeathers were also like Storm's, but he had five of them.

"Dad!" Wave cried excitedly, hugging the male swallow.

"Aw, my sweet little Wave! You've gotten so beautiful," Mech the Swallow gushed, embracing his daughter tightly after years of separation.

"Dad?" I recited with confusion. "Wait! Are these Jet, Wave, and Storm's…?"

"Fathers, yes," Cannon murmured, "and they were also the previous members of the Babylon Rogues."

"Cannon the Falcon," Thunder the Albatross grumbled, crossing his arms as the young falcon twitched. "Saw you getting rather cozy with my daughter."

"You're such an overprotective father, Thunder," Accel the Hawk interjected with a smirk. "Mech let Wave to whatever the hell she wanted to do when we were alive."

"With restrictions, of course," Mech growled back, setting Wave to the ground. "Your son and my daughter have, too, been getting cozy as Thunder put it."

Accel smirked, crossing his arms. I froze, just staring up at him. I kept telling myself that it was Rodrigo who possessed Jet's father into slaughtering my family and his wife. Though, when he and I made eye contact for him to greet me, I slid behind Wave for protection.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "Go greet them!"

"What do I say?" I retorted. "That SOB was possessed by Rodrigo and killed my parents."

"I can hear you!" Accel shouted. "I can't believe a puny little pest like you could actually beat Rodrigo."

"Well, you better believe it, hawk, cuz I did!" I sneered. "At least _I _never got captured by him and went all psycho crazy like you."

A vein popped up in the older hawk's head. Thunder and Mech took a cautious step back as Accel stomped over to me. Snatching my antennas, Accel leaped back into the rift as the Grim Reaper shouted at him not to. Well, he's Jet's dad, so of course he's not going to listen. He dragged me across the floor as I struggled to get free before throwing me onto the couch. The rift had vanished the moment Accel leaped back through, but I could still hear the Grim Reaper's vile curses.

"Why'd you bring me here?" I demanded, crossing my arms as I slumped onto the couch.

Accel sat opposite of me on another couch. He crossed his left leg over his right, a passive expression dawned his features instead of his usual confidently arrogantly one. At first, he opened his beak in a gesture to speak, but quickly shut it. Tapping his finger against his temples, he sucked in a deep breathe and gazed up at me.

"Firstly, I want to apologize for the obliteration of your family," Accel stated, making me jump a little. "I was poisoned by Cannon after Jet became the leader of the Babylon Rogues with Rodrigo ordering him to do so. Rodrigo had complete control over my mind, deleting my conscious in the process. He forced me to kill your parents, and even though Mech and Thunder attempted to bring me back, they were killed by the Lunar Rogues, Cannon, Stream, Bean, and Sirin. Ironically enough, Stream's Thunder's daughter and Sirin is technically Mech's half-nephew." The hawk shook his head, clasping his hands together. "Then…he made me do something…horrible. I killed my Rosalie, my love, my wife. It was after I saw Jet's frightened expression when I cut her open that Rodrigo released me. I couldn't bear it anymore…"

"So, what did you do?" I asked quietly, feeling extreme pity for that man.

"I fought Rodrigo," he answered bluntly, "and I was killed."

I reeled back in surprise. I was told that Accel had died somehow, but I never knew how. Now that the information was impaling my mind, I slumped forward. Accel stood up, placing a hand over my head, rubbing my black hair gently. The motion made me twitch, and Accel removed his hand, clearly embarrassed. Sighing, he glanced back at the wall where the rift previously was.

"I know that Jet can never forgive me," Accel morbidly muttered. "I abandoned him at the young age of seven, and I never taught him Extreme Gear. He was a natural prodigy, though, and it was here that I just watched him ride, learn, laugh…grow up. I just wish I could've been there for him."

"But he did forgive you," I whispered; the hawk turned to face me with a surprised expression. "When I was fighting Rodrigo, I heard someone crying up on the ceiling. The cries were Jet's, and Rodrigo revealed to me that it was him that did all those nasty things. Jet and Storm overheard everything, and he just belted in sobs."

Accel stared down at me with stricken eyes. He covered his beak with one hand, trying to compose himself, and the emerald hawk turned away. He trembled as the words sunk into his mind, finding his arm to his eyes. He hiccupped a few times, and I saw a couple tears trickle down his beak. Shaking his head, Accel returned himself to me with a clear smirk.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Accel nodded at my request. "Do you know where Rodrigo went?"

"He went back straight to Hell," Accel smirked. "That bastard got stripped of his powers and everything. Grimmy was pissed since it was his scythe that Rodrigo had stolen. There's no way he can ever come back."

"Well, there's some good news!" I jeered. "What about Cesare and Lucrezia?"

"Those two? They're in Heaven somewhere, reuniting with their formers comrades Chiaro the Hawk and Cid the Albatross, the fourteenth generation of Babylon Rogues that Lucrezia joined," Accel explained. "If you're wondering about Vannoza, tramp went straight to the ninth layer with her lover-boy, Rodrigo."

"Oh, Accel, I'll tell Jet what you said," I added as we were ready to go back.

"…I kinda wanted to say that to him myself, but sure. That's fine with me," Accel replied.

"Get in here! Now!" The Grim Reaper shrieked through another rift. He snatched us by our arms, forcing us through. He slashed another rift, exposing the world of the living where Jet and Raine were sobbing, hunched over my corpse.

"Guys, I think we can bring them back," Storm stated.

Jet looked up at the albatross, clearly confused. "What do you mean, Storm?"

"Angelous' lamp," Storm informed. "If somebody rubs it, he'll have to grant us three true wishes."

"That's a brilliant idea!" Raine gushed. "He has to, after all, because that's what genie's do."

"Hate to admit it myself, but that's actually pretty smart," Wave muttered to herself.

"Good thinking, but Angelous hates you and me," Jet pointed out. "What if he tries to kill us again?"

"He can't because he'll be under somebody's influence," Storm countered. "It's like what our ancestors always told, that we'd ultimately get three true wishes."

Jet grasped the golden lamp, staring at his reflection. He placed his other hand on it, hesitant to rub it until Raine and Storm placed their hands on his. Confidence brewing, Jet slowly began to rub the lamp. Suddenly, a wisp of purple streamed out of the lamp, instantly halting the young hawk. The wisp turned into a vortex that grew bigger until it formed the appearance of Angelous the Gatekeeper, Guardian God of Babylon.

"Who dares breach me from my slumber?" the Babylon god boomed.

"I do!" Jet bellowed, getting to his feet, holding the lamp out in front of him.

Angelous glared down at him before his gold eyes wavered. He leaned down towards the smaller avian, and the hawk god smirked. "I am glad to meet you again for you have broken my bonds with Rodrigo. I apologize for my previous actions four years past because I thought you and the albatross were greedy pigeons."

"Thanks, I love being called a pigeon," Jet sarcastically retorted.

"You, Jet the Hawk, have called me out. I shall grant you three true wishes," Angelous explained. "Name your wish, and I shall grant it."

"Just like our ancestors said," Storm giddily muttered.

"Told you," Thunder sneered at Mech, "that we get three true wishes."

"Shut up, you stupid albatross," Mech hissed.

"How about both of you silence your insulting beaks so we can listen?" The Grim Reaper snapped.

Jet gulped, glancing over to my corpse. "Can you bring people back from the dead?"

"Yes, I can. As many as you want for the bargain of one wish," Angelous stated. "I am being generous because you freed me from Rodrigo's control. If it were some other occasion, I would have one person come back to life for each wish."

"Alright, wish number one!" Jet called out. "I wish for Wave the Swallow, Charmy Bee, and…" Jet trailed off, glancing back to the rift even though he couldn't see us. "…Cannon the Falcon to come back to life."

"Me?!" Cannon squeaked, clearly shocked.

"I owe the little punk for killing him last year when he was being abused and tricked by Rodrigo into assisting in the murders of Storm and Wave's family," Jet explained. "He deserves a second chance."

Cannon was completely appalled at Jet's words, covering his beak in shock. He took a step back, trying to drink in everything that happened. Cannon grinned weakly as Wave patted his shoulder. Mech and Thunder exchanged unsure glances, clearly disgusted that he would get a second chance. Accel elbowed both of them, hissing at them to stop moping.

Angelous nodded, stating that Jet's wish was accepted. He raised his massive hands into the air, and three spheres appeared in front of him. My corpse disappeared, making Raine jump. Back down at Vector's group in the Digital Dimension, Wave's body have vanished as well, sending a panic throughout the group, and Mighty fainted. The Grim Reaper nodded, waving his scythe in the air, and like lightning, Wave, Cannon and I had vanished. Euphoria streamed through my entire body, filling me with the pulse of life as I felt my still-beat heart start pumping. The coldness on my body immediately changed to warmth as I gasped.

My eyes shot open. However, a bolt of white blocked my vision, and I thought I was dead again. Raine hugged me, tackling me to the ground as she squealed. She sounded like a younger version of Amy whenever she even caught a glimpse of Sonic. The butterfly nearly chocked me with her arms as my face started to turn violet.

"R-Raine, c-can't breathe!" I gasped.

"Sorry, but this is amazing," she gushed, hugging me tightly. "I thought I would see you again."

"Same here, but Jet really did a great thing by bringing us back to life," I replied, wrapping an arm around her neck.

Wave and Jet were literally on the floor, kissing to their hearts content. Raine and I just stared at them when Jet slowly slipped his hand up her shirt when Angelous cleared his throat. Storm clapped Cannon over his shoulder who was still checking the beating pulse on his neck in astonishment. He graciously thanked Jet for hid deed, but the hawk was still aggravated that Angelous had the gall to interrupt him.

"What's your second wish?" Angelous boomed, making me cringe.

"Doesn't that guy hate me or something?" I questioned as the god glared down at me.

"Yes, but since you defeated Rodrigo, I shall let you off," Angelous stated, "but only this time. If I ever see you again, you will die…again."

I winced, letting Jet take the floor again. The hawk hesitated, pondering his second wish. Suddenly, a gleam of malice formed in his eyes as he sneered. Crossing his arms with smugness, I immediately knew that his next wish was going to be a sneaky one.

"Second wish! I wish that Sonic the Hedgehog would lose his super speed for an entire month!" Jet shouted; a collective gasp came from among us. "Hey, he'll get it back."

"Boss, that's malicious!" Storm cried. "That's why I love working for ya!"

---

At that very moment in South Island, Sonic the Hedgehog was running through the forest of his home before suddenly tripping on a conveniently placed twig. The cobalt hero gasped, falling flat on his face. With his super speed, he should've easily avoided it. Yet, as he attempted to burst off in super speed, Sonic found himself running only a few miles per hour. Flabbergasted, Sonic fainted at the very fact that he couldn't go super sonic anymore. Something in the back of his mind, though, told him that Jet was involved.

---

From a screen produced by Angelous, we were all able to witness Sonic's fainting. The Babylon Rogues and Cannon burst into laughter. Raine snickered, trying to keep a straight face. I shook my head, smirking lightly. Jet quietly stepped toward Angelous, holding his side from his jeers.

"You're a total idiot," Angelous grumbled, his voice echoing like thunder. "Come, young Prince of Babylon, what does your heart beckon for?"

Jet looked back at us. A reflective look crossed his brow as his gaze shifted from all of us. With a sigh, Jet raised up Angelous' lamp, throwing it back to the avian god. Angelous stared at his lamp before gazing a soft glance back at the emerald hawk. All of us stared intently at him as he smirked.

"Honestly, Angelous, I don't think I could come up with a third wish," Jet responded. "With all my friends here and Wave, I probably couldn't be happier."

"Hey, didn't you want your office room filled with gold or something?" Cannon questioned.

Jet blinked, staring back at the burnt orange falcon. With a tiny gape, Jet immediately wished for his office room to be filled with gold. Angelous slapped himself in the forehead, muttering that he hated his life. Snapping his fingers, Angelous opened a portal that exposed Jet's office completely filled with gold. Jet's eyes changed into tiny dollar signs as he drooled a waterfall. Wave clamped her hand on his beak, shutting it. Thanking Angelous, he was soon met with the god's middle finger before being sucked back into his lamp.

"So, the nightmare's over?" Storm asked gently, touching the subject uncertainly.

"Yes, Storm, it's finished," Wave replied. "Rodrigo was taken back to Hell, and he'll remain there to rot for eternity."

"That's the best damn news I heard all day!" Jet cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "Guess that means we kinda restored peace to the planet, huh?"

"Yeah, everything's better now and…" I noticed Raine had suddenly crossed her arms, glaring at me. "What's wrong, Raine?"

Without warning, the butterfly snatched my collar, making me mutter for my mom. A jolt thrashed through my system when Raine kissed me. When she broke it off, my face was completely red…and than she slapped me over the head.

"W-what was that for?" I stammered. "I mean, the kiss was great, but the hitting…"

"You died on me," she stated, "directly after you told me with Jet and Storm as witnesses that you loved me. If you stayed dead, I would've crawled into Heaven and drag your sorry little stinger out. If you ever do that to me again, I will personally rip your stinger off and kill. Are we clear?"

"…Yes, ma'am," I managed to mutter.

As the others chuckled at me, I grumbled. We exited through the door leading, surprisingly, down to the Digital Dimension. Sirin was immediately excited to see Wave again, hugging her tightly, but backed off when Jet started growling. Kiba hugged Storm while Mighty enveloped Raine and I in back-breaking hugs. Well, mine did crack, and I almost fainted.

"Rodrigo's dead?" Aliza questioned hopefully.

"Done like a turkey dinner!" Cannon replied. That's when his eyes met Sirin's. "…Oh, no, not you!"

"Hi, Cannon," Sirin mumbled. "Listen, I'm sorry for being a jerk to you for the past…years, and I have no idea how you're alive, but I'll make it up to you. I swear."

"Hey, we were brainwashed, Sirin," Cannon replied, patting the sparrow's back. "It's all good, by the way, how's Stream."

"She's crashing with the Dynamite Gang with Bean," Storm informed. "I think they'll have heart attacks when they see you."

"Aw, I wanted them to fight," Psyko whined, earning Espio to clap his shoulder in digust.

As we left the Digital Dimension, I hesitated, staring back at the vastness of the technological halls. Sighing deeply, I knew my adventure was over. I defeated Rodrigo, the villain, the demon of Babylon. Somehow, I had a feeling that the lingering scars he left wouldn't heal so fast. I knew mine wouldn't for a while. I looked down at my hand, finding something rather odd: It was my badge. Staring up at the sky, I saw the ghostly outline of Accel with a smirk and thumbs-up. Returning the thumbs-up, I flew straight out of Babylon Garden and caught my Extreme Gear when Storm tossed it to me. Raine held onto me, hugging me tightly as we flew off. My adventure may have ended there, but the story was still occurring.

---

**Hope is restored and bonds of love are fixed. Will everything hold together? Can everyone find happiness now that the nightmare is gone? Find out in the final Rogue's Bee: Epilogue!**


	31. Epilogue: Sixteen Years Later pt 1

Characters © Respective Owners

---

Epilogue: Sixteen Years Later pt. 1

"Daddy!"

My head immediately shoots up from my bed, staring at the young white butterfly girl sitting on my lap. Sara the Butterfly, my precious seven-year-old daughter beamed up at me as my other daughter, shy five-year-old Honey Bee flew in behind her. Sara began to jump on my head, shouting that Honey did something. I always wondered how Raine could sleep through all of this racket.

"What's wrong, my little princess number one?" I ask, pulling her to my chest as Raine begins to rouse.

"Honey's being saying the Chaotix are better than the Virtex! Tell her she's wrong!" Sara whines, pointing an accusing finger at her younger sister.

"No, detectives are better!" Honey pouts, looking ready to cry.

"Aw, Honey, dear, please don't cry," Raine entreats, pulling the bee girl to her chest. "Charmy…"

"Sara, Honey, listen. Please stop competing with each other. The Chaotix Detective Agency and The Virtex Agency are both equal in status," I plead, rubbing my eyes to try and stay awake.

Glancing at the clock, I inwardly groan when it starts to perpetually beep. It was just past seven as I slap the alarm off. Honey immediately grapples with me, and I swing her over my shoulder while Sara clings to Raine. Raine kisses my cheek, nuzzling me gently as we stalk into the kitchen of our apartment in Station Square which is just a few streets away from the Chaotix and the Virtex. Raine starts breakfast as Sara begins chatting animatedly over something about a case the Virtex recently received.

Sixteen years have past every since Rodrigo was defeated, and life couldn't have been any grander. I married Raine (after a lot of convincing to get Rector on my good side, which didn't work so well and I ended up with three broken ribs and a twisted arm) when I turned eighteen and she was just shy of nineteen at the same church Jet and Wave were married at. We had our daughters a couple years later, and I didn't want anyone else to be my beautiful kids. Thankfully, we managed to snag an apartment rather close to the Chaotix and Virtex.

Vector married Vanilla the same year we beat Rodrigo, and they had a son who is know seven-years-old: Tango the Rabbit who took exactly like his father and is the currant leader of the Chaotix. Tango also tends with his sister Cream in their Chao Garden on occasions when he isn't working with the Chaotix.

Espio never got married, but while we were on a mission to save an orphanage from a bomb threat by jealous and hateful parents. He adopted a chameleon girl named Momoka who he taught taijutsu skills due to the fact that she couldn't use any fancy ninja tricks. She is blind in her left eye, fifteen-years-old and has a secret crush on Tango.

Storm and Kiba got hitched with a pair of twins: Cloud and Hurricane the Albatrosses AKA Alba Twins as they refer to themselves as. Cloud is arrogant, but polite while Hurricane can be considered the epitome of Storm. Cloud is madly in love with Jet and Wave's daughter, Tidal and hates their son Tempest while Hurricane has the opposite feelings, but he's not in love with Tempest. Both of them are sixteen.

Speaking of Jet and Wave, they got married with no setbacks. Two years later, Wave gave birth to Tempest the Hawk who turned out to be exactly like her while their daughter Tidal the Swallow is a mini swallow clone of her dad. Tempest does suffer from a weak immune system, sometimes spitting blood up while Tidal hates the sun and anyone or thing that wakes her up. Tempest is fourteen while Tidal is thirteen.

Mighty has got down together with Aikara the Monkey. They had been dating secretly to not draw attention to themselves, though the monkey is known to like attention. I hadn't learned of their relationship until they got married in a private chapel by themselves with family as their only witnesses. They went to travel the world, and have two daughters: Garnet the Armadillo and Launch the Monkey. Both are three years apart, but couldn't act more like identical twins with the same likes and dislikes. Garnet went off and joined the Chaotix.

Sonic and Amy had three kids: twins girls Wisteria Rose and Nadeshiko Rose the Hedgehogs and a son Haru Rose the Hedgehog. Wisteria is like her mother in several ways which include her mother's obsessions with love and her horrible temper, but is sweet and kind at times. Nadeshiko is a bit of a punk, dressing like a wannabe emo or something with her quills covering her left eye. Both have crushes on Emerald the Echidna and Tempest respectively. Haru's the new hero of Earth, saving the day whenever Eggman's daughter, Sera Robotnik, comes out to conquer it. Whenever there's a problem, he'll be there.

Tails and Cream have a ten-year-old daughter named Tech Prower. Like her father, she loves machines and will do anything for fix and make them even better. She is generally naïve and sweet, unsure of good or bad guys. Tech has a red Chao named Screw due to his messed up springy ball on his head. She re-crafted the Tornado and is in love with Haru, but is unsure of how to tell him due to their best friendship. She also adores her "Uncle Tango", helping the Chaotix out whenever they need it.

As much as I wish it untrue, Knuckles and Rouge didn't last in their marriage. An argument with their fifteen-year-old hybrid son Topaz the Echidbat not wanting to be a guardian led to their separation with legal custody of one son. Knuckles got the other fraternal twin Emerald the Echidna who strived in guarding the Master Emerald. He's a bit of a womanizer, leading him with more slaps each day while Topaz desperately tries to woo Nic…and fails horrible.

The Dynamite Gang is still the same old bounty hunters and thieves. Tomo and Nack have a pretty and greedy fourteen-year-old daughter named Nic the Weasel who know leads the new Dynamite Gang. Nobody knows how Bean was able to get a girlfriend, but he and Honey the Cat had a daughter they named Pyro the Cat who can generate fires with a snap of her fingers and is extremely psychotic. Bark had a son named Glacier the Polar Bear who is the mediator in the group, ending fights between Nic and Pyro. He is the only one that knows about Nic's feeling towards Kata Rose since she trusts him with them.

Rector still hates me. No really, he'd love to rip my spine out any day. You really shouldn't expect that, though, since I married his "little sister". Rector married Shade a few months after Jet and Wave, having their son Kata Rose. Like his father, he somehow hates me. I don't freaking know why. Howl and girlfriend Aura had an estranged son named Night who dislikes his parents since he believes they treat him like all of the other students at their swordsmanship dojo. Armand married a lovely cheetah girl named Emily, having a daughter named Blitz Novak the Tiger who's almost seventeen and a ten-year-old boy named Edje Novak the Cheetah. Kata, Night, Blitz, Edje, and Sara form the new Virtex Agency, rivals to the Chaotix in hopes for jobs and pay.

And let me tell you, they hate each other. A typical day usually includes them fighting for a job, scare the employer off, blame each other, and have one of the parents break it up. Since Sara and Honey are on different sides, I get the worst of the arguments since they fight every five minutes about it.

The Anti Babylon Rogues/Lunar Rogues became their own sort of bounty hunters. Cannon, Stream and Sirin changed their name to the Babylon Marauders. The Babylon Rogues instantly disliked their name, thinking they copied them. Cannon and Stream got married, having a son named Diamond the Albatross and another one named Opal the Falcon. Both were named after the stones their parents received from Rodrigo, making me wonder if they were still loyal to the dead demon. Sirin seemed to never be interested in marriage, having adopted an energetic boy named Musica the Raven. Musica tends to annoy his comrades to no end, but Diamond and Opal are rather crazy in their own way.

I did lose contact with others in the past. I heard that Gemini's doing, nearly owning half of the stocks on the world and opened up casinos everything. He has a son named Replicate and got hitched with his secretary Alice, but after that, we really don't talk much.

Damien's…somewhere. Things between him and I have been a little shaky after a little incident involving a baseball and a window. It wasn't a pretty sight when _Vector_ blamed me for his actions, and I was banned from his house. He has girlfriend that he plans to tie the knot with and a daughter whose name he never told me for one reason: He thinks I'm going to break her like his window.

Whip created a swordsmanship dojo because he had been inspired by his time in the past on Babylon. He has his own son named Blade who takes the way of the swordsman as seriously as his father.

The Wolf Twins, Psyko and Somatic are still the Dream Killers like Freddy wanted them to be, but rumor has it that Psyko has a daughter and a son with a mysterious echidna girl. No, it's not Tikal. Carnage is still the leader of the Wolf Pack, leading his group of wolves into more fights than ever, and they've gotten in trouble with GUN a few times.

Taking me out of my thoughts of the past, I glance over my shoulder to hear the phone ringing. Raine picks it up as the girls begin their morning argument over the agencies they work for. The butterfly murmurs into it as I drink my twenty sugared coffee. She hangs it up and takes the coffee away from me.

"My precious coffee! I need it!" I cry, trying to grasp it, but she holds it over my head.

"You know what coffee does to you," Raine chides as I roll my eyes. "Remember when you ate five bags of sugar? You played Halo five hours straight and locked Rector in a closet filled with robotic clones of you."

"So? It was…sort of quiet without Rector nagging me," I reply, chuckling. "Who was that?"

"Vector, he needs you at the Chaotix," Raine states.

I blink, wondering what my father figure could need. After finishing breakfast, I fly off as I kiss Raine goodbye. Honey catches a ride with my as I tuck her in my vest. Sara glares at me as I go off, huffing that I was giving Honey a ride.

After sixteen years, the Chaotix Detective Agency hasn't changed. The same pale yellow home with the chicken weathervane, green welcome mat, and the cowboy-style double doors. Honey immediately flies in, crying out for Tango and Momoka. A shout is heard from the inside, filling me with memories since I used to dash into Vector every time. Like father like daughter. Peering inside, I meet Espio and Vector greeting me with Honey tackling Tango to the ground.

"Well, something's never really change," Espio states, crossing his arms as Momoka walks into the room with her trademark bandana covering her blind eye. "I remember when you did that to Vector every time you ran into the agency."

"So? I looked adorable when I did it, and so does Honey," I retort, glaring at the older chameleon.

"Did we get a job, Tango?" Momoka asks as Tango pries Honey off.

"No!" Tango snaps irritably. "Damn Virtex got it!"

"What?! Why?" Momoka cries, clearly in shock.

"Cuz we're better than you!" Kata Rose sneers from an open window with Sara on his head. "A bunch of deadbeat detectives can't do anything. Right, Sara?"

"Yeah!" the butterfly jeers.

"Get outta here ya mutant rat!" Tango shrieks as Kata flips him off and leaves. "I hate hedgehogs, I really do."

"Aw, don't worry, son," Vector comforts, placing his hand on the rabbit's shoulder. "Since they're on a mission, you'll get the next job. In fact…" From the pocket of his jeans, he pulls out an envelope. "I have it right here."

"Awright! You rock, Dad!" Tango swipes the envelope greedily out of his hands, commanding his team to follow him. "Come on! We gotta meet Garnet on the outskirts of the city where out mission will take place! Team Chaotix, go!"

Once they had bolted out of the office, I couldn't help but feel something would go horribly wrong. Of course, I got that feeling every time they went out on a mission. Vector rubs his temple, snickering into his palm, and it took me a minute to realize that he had given his trademarked headphones to Tango. No wonder he appears naked these days…

"Are you visiting the Babylon Rogues?" Espio inquires, meditating against the corner of the building like usual.

"Yeah, my job is literally baby-sitting the little brats," I growl. "Tempest the epitome of his mother, Tidal's like Jet, and the Alba Twins are just insane. They're like me!"

"If they were like you, the world would implode on itself," Vector snickers.

"Nuh-uh! I saved the world three times from a maniacal demon!" I whine back.

"Speaking of that, Charmy, do you realize what day it is today?" Espio questions.

Facing him, I shake my head. "Um, Tuesday?"

Espio pinches his brow, stupefied. "Today is the anniversary of when you defeated Rodrigo sixteen years ago."

The words rush at my brain, pinching at every molecule of my head. I blink in confusion, unsure of how to respond to that sudden statement. Today is the day that I defeated Rodrigo those sixteen years ago. Whistling lowly, I manage to bring up some sort of response which was extremely stupid.

"…Really?" I reply.

"No, Charmy, I'm making this up," Espio sarcastically says. "Yes, today is that fateful day."

"Huh, wow," Vector gasps. "Do the Babylonians know?"

I shrug. "Beats me."

Subconsciously as we chatted, Vector turns the television on and adjusts the antennas on top so we can get a working signal. The news is on, and a black cat woman is the anchor. What catches my attention is that she's talking about something called the "Babylon Segment: Rodrigo the Crow". The talking between us ceases as Vector turns the volume up louder.

"Sasha Cat reporting to end the morning news at nine. We end our time with a peek back in the history of Babylon with the creature known as Rodrigo the Crow. To our world, he is known as a demon, a mad genius, a villain, and the creator of the Arks of the Cosmos and the first Extreme Gear. However, his past has been largely unknown until now. Rodrigo started out as a member of the thirteenth leader of the Babylon Rogues back on planet Babylon with Stolen the Hawk and Vannoza the Swallow…" Sasha went on to speak about his pitying of the poor and wanting to better Babylon. "His father, Rovere the Crow, Vannoza and Rodrigo rallied up people known as the Lunar Rogues, the tribe that follows him and attacked the kingdom. What surprised him was that he was encountered by the ten-year-old boy who defeated him all three times, Charmy Bee, who used a time machine to travel back and stop him. Unfortunately, time went on as planned even though Charmy stopped him, and we will continue this segment tomorrow morning. I'm Sasha Cat, Morning News for Channel Nine."

"…Damn," Vector slowly mutters. "I wonder who saw that."

The phone instantly begins ringing like it was on a cue. I hesitantly pick it up, bringing it to my head as Storm's voice echoes out.

"Did you guys see the news?!" the albatross screeches as I rip the phone from my head due to his boisterous voice. "Th-the one about Rodrigo just now?!"

"Yeah, we did," I reply, bringing the phone back to my head. "Calm down, Storm. It's almost nine in the morning, and I usually wake up at ten."

"It's really weird, hardly anyone knows about Rodrigo's past," Storm states. "I wonder how they figured it out."

"Obviously it was those Babylon Marauders," Espio says as I put the phone on speaker. "They know everything about Rodrigo and would gladly give anything they know for a quick buck."

"I would, too," Vector sneers earning Espio to whack him over the head. "Ow!"

"Anyway, Boss is actually kinda glad over it, but he hated that part about the garbage where Rodrigo pitied the poor and almost threw the TV out the window." There's a pause on Storm's line before he adds, "Again. So, yeah, Boss wants to see you, Charmy."

"To get annoyed by his kids for seven hours," I grumble. "Alright, tell Jet I'll be in."

"Great, I get a break for once since I'm the Leader of the Babylon Guard. Gotta go, Wave's screaming her head off at Tidal since she's still asleep," Storm snickers as Wave's shrill voice can be heard in the background. He hangs up, but something cracks as the receiver starts beeping on his line.

"…What the hell was that?" Espio asks.

"Probably Wave's wrench being thrown at Storm," Vector deducts. "That cracking noise is pretty common now."

"It was always common," I snigger. "Well, I better head off. I don't wanna get creamed with Wave's wrench for being late."

After the goodbyes were said, I fly out of the CDA and quickly recall that I didn't have my Extreme Gear. Wave is repairing it due to me crashing it a few days ago, and she literally beat me to a pulp that Storm and Jet had to peel my almost dead carcass out of their floor in their airship. Oh, they finally decided to name it: Great Babylon.

…So original.

I wait on the outskirts of Station Square, waiting for Storm to pick me up. I would've ridden to Babylon Garden, but crashing and trees certainly don't mix. For the last few years, I wear a watch since I'm usually late on everything. Raine's birthday, Rector's engagement party to which he snapped my wrist, some memorial day for Sonic that was boring as hell, and something about Jet's first child being born.

A humming noise in the distance catches my attention as I glance at the street. Silence instantly follows as I place a hard grip on my Golden Hive Colony badge as a warning gesture. The humming gets closer as I remove my hand, closing my eyes to find the source and smirk.

"Alright, Storm, I know you're there!" I proclaim to the barren, morning streets. "Stop circling around on your Extreme Bike, you're out here somewhere!"

The humming becomes impeccably closer the moment my outburst waits out a few seconds. I pull at my black baggy pants, staring at Storm as he rides up. The albatross hasn't changed much, definitely more muscular with a bandana covering his eye and a mechanical arm from a "misadventure" as he calls it. Oh, and he has that stupid beige poncho back on his head.

"Can't ever diss your hearing," Storm sniggers as I hop on the back of his unmodified Gear.

"Hey, when you fight psychopathic birds, you learn that you gotta get better hearing," I reply, holding onto him as he flies off.

"The kids? How are they?" he asks.

"Hate each other!" I snap. "It's always, 'Daddy, Sara said the Chaotix were doo-doo heads!' or 'Mom! Dad! Honey said that I was ugly!' It really makes me wonder how anyone can have siblings."

"I know. Cloud and Hurricane are always at each other's throat over the stupidest reasons," Storm sighs. "Heck, I sometimes wonder if they're twins or if one's a demon spawn."

I can't help chuckle at his comment. Cloud and Hurricane usually do care about each other, but they fight about something stupid at least once a day. Similar to Tempest and Tidal since they're the epitome of their parents, just swap the species. Honey and Sara pop into my mind, but I quickly shove them aside, knowing that whenever they were in the room, it was usually another Chaotix versus Virtex time of brawl. When all of those kids were in a room together, well, oh boy.

"So, what's Jet want now?" I ask, breaking the silence as we ride through the golden desert of Sand Ruins.

"The Lunar Tribe is starting to act up," Storm says slowly making me shiver at their mention, "The leaders are Sirin and Cannon, and they keep on claiming that they revived Rodrigo."

"What?! Didn't they're last encounters teach 'em anything?!" I shriek, making Storm swerve, nearly falling off his bike. "Sorry, Storm, but really! Cannon died, and Sirin was brainwashed, yet they still go back to Rodrigo's teachings?!"

"Jet suspects that they may be brainwashed, but he isn't sure," Storm growls. "I haven't heard anything from Stream or my nephews, so we can only expect the worst. They've rallied up the remains on the Lunar Tribe and are about to wage war. If…if Rodrigo _is_ back, well…" He glances back at me as Babylon Garden comes into view. "…try your best."

"Are you serious?! Jet wants me to kill him again?!" I scream. "Storm, I have a wife and two young daughters! If I get killed what then? What the hell is he gonna tell Raine? What if I die, huh? The Grim Reaper ain't gonna give me another chance! He hates me!"

"I have a wife and two sons, ya know," Storm retorts angrily. "If I die, the same thing would happen to both of us. We wouldn't be allowed to come back. Charmy, when you joined the Babylon Rogues, you had to be ready for anything, especially death."

His words hit right home, and the memory of the orange flames being tattooed onto my wrists came up. In the end, Storm usually is correct on topics like these, making me feel like a total idiot. Sighing, I nod in agreement though I definitely don't like the idea of fighting Rodrigo for the fourth time and the prospect of death.

Babylon Garden is a paradise floating in the sky like the ancient Babylonians wanted it to be. A crystal place like the Beast's castle from that Disney movie resided in the middle with lush forests surrounding the sides with a yellow barrier blocking the entire city from invaders. The roads were paved in cobblestone and some concrete while the homes were lined up like the perfect neighborhoods with apartment buildings for the "less fortunate" people who can't afford proper housing. During Jet's rule, Babylon Garden, a former spaceship, was transformed into a wonderful city in the sky ruled by a clear, honorable monarchy.

Storm's Gear swapped back into an Extreme Gear as I hopped off, flying up the sides of Babylon Garden. Dashing through the forest, we leaped over the barrier and headed straight for the castle. Some of Babylonian people were frantic, preparing themselves for the Lunars to attack, and some of them were thinking of fleeing. I noticed a little seagull girl holding a little doll in her arms as her parents were bickering back and forth, making me cringe inside when she starts to cry.

We arrive at Jet and Wave's palace with moments to spare. Two avian guards salute him and I as the silver doors open. Two twin light grey albatrosses with bangs almost covering their left eye (Cloud) and right eye (Hurricane) with brown eyes (Cloud) and blue eyes and glasses (Hurricane). Cloud appeared completely aggravated over something while Hurricane looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

"D-Dad, King Jet says that the Lunars are attacking today," Hurricane reports quickly, inheriting his father's stuttering issues.

"I thought the Solars and Lunars were on the same side ever since Rodrigo was killed by Uncle Charmy," Cloud ponders aloud with arms crossed hotly. "This is completely ridiculous after all! I thought Aunt Stream learned her lesson when Uncle Cannon died."

"You're the one telling them that?" a light green hawk with three headfeathers going down with red pants and a white stripe hisses. "They already knew that."

"Oh, stop with your whining, Tempy," Cloud smirks. "You sound like Queen Wave."

"My name is Tempest!" he shrieks.

"Okay, enough with the fighting!" Storm commands, shutting them up. "Where are His and Her Highnesses?"

"We're right here, Storm," Jet announces donning a gold crown with red gem in the center on his head and large black shoulder pads with his black boots and green flames.

Wave had her smaller gold crown on with a blue gem in the center on her head. She wore a white dress with a short, yet flowing white cape and her long feathers in a tight ponytail that reached her back. "Data from my Red Orb shows that the Lunars should be attacking any moment," she explains sadly. "Man, I really thought we got on better terms with them."

"I know what you mean, Mom," Tidal the Swallow, a light violet swallow with her headfeathers leaning down like hair. "Freaking crazy Lunars, and I know we have their blood, but still, they're psychotic."

"Tidal!" Wave and Tempest snap almost simultaneously.

"What? It's true," she states.

"Anyway, it seems that the Lunars are going to come over the barrier with some sort of disabler beam created from technology from Babylon they 'found'," Storm informs.

"That's like what happened on Babylon," I recall. "Rodrigo, his father Rovere, Vannoza and the Lunar Tribe aka the Babylonian Revokers to destroy the monarchy of Babylon, but Stolen, Crooked, me and some others stopped them with the palace army. After that, Rodrigo polluted the entire planet with a poison that ruined the air. I think they're going to try that again."

"They can't do that!" Cloud shouts defiantly. "They'd die as well!"

"They probably figured that," Jet mutters. His head snaps up towards Storm and I, and we stiffen. "Storm, Charmy, round up the guards and whoever else you can find! We're taking the Lunar Tribe down today!" He faces his own children and the Alba Twins. "You four go get the Great Babylon airship, and wait for further instructions."

"Alright." Tempest nods, heading off with his team back into the castle. Another heated argument between Hurricane and Tidal could be heard a few yards down the hall with Cloud and Tempest groaning audibly.

Storm salutes his leader and trudges off with me darting behind him. Apparently, the Babylon Royal Guard was already called before we arrived. Storm is given a longsword from one of the guards that he thanks, and I recognize the sword as one that a nobleman would use. A glint of arrogance shown in his beady eyes as he addresses the guards All of them dress in armor, not like the Arthurian armor, but metal plated chests that are bullet and sword proof.

I glance behind Storm, wondering why the Lunars decided to attack again. A repeat of the tragic history of Babylon is what this was. The two leaders of each tribe would fight, and one would be struck down. In the past it was Rodrigo versus Stolen, but now it's Jet versus either Cannon or Sirin. Something buzzes in my head, blocking my hearing like a narcissist laugh. Shaking my head, I somehow manage to have zoned out throughout Storm's speech.

Good thing, it probably sucked.

An explosion rings out in the city of Babylon. The engines of war begin to rumble as the guard charges out. Storm hesitates with me as we both exchange nervous glances. He knows that I was the only one around that actually witnessed the first Great Babylon War. This could be the second.

---

**The future brings unwelcomed tidings. Can Charmy and the Babylon Rogues defeat this new uprising from the Lunar Tribe? What happened to Cannon and Sirin? Can both tribes finally stop the centuries of enmity? Find out in the final Rogue's Bee!**


	32. Epilogue: Sixteen Years Later pt 2

Characters © Respective Owners

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Epilogue: Sixteen Years Later pt. 2

Before we continue on, I think a flashback would clear a whole lot up. So, let's backtrack sixteen years into the past after the final defeat of Rodrigo.

_Sixteen years ago: Station Square Chapel_

It was like nothing had happened. A few days past after I defeated Rodrigo, and the world was saved. Everything went back to normal as the treachery of that demonic crow vanished until hardly anything was left from his talons. South Island and Westopolis were being worked on along with Soleanna after the Slifer ambushes. Princess Elise actually knighted myself, the Babylon Rogues, and the Chaotix which included Mighty and Ray. Both of them proclaimed that I was the real hero. Jet repurposed to Wave, and she gladly accepted the night of Rodrigo's death.

We celebrated, throwing Jet a final bachelor party. Sonic showed up last without his super speed, completely a wreck and crying a little. Jet never told him that his wish caused Sonic to lose his speed. Of course, once Dr. Eggman learned that Sonic was pretty much out of commission, he launched a full throttle assault and conquered a quarter of the world. Thankfully, Sonic regained his speed and blew Eggman away with "the real super power of teamwork!" Okay, Sonic, please go back to your meds.

That brought us to the chapel were Jet and Wave were ready to be married. The same positions were filled with Storm as Jet's best man, but Kiba took over as the bridesmaid. That didn't stop Rouge from dressing in a revealing dress that reached just past mid-thigh. Knuckles considered himself to be the happiest man alive that day. Cream and I resumed our positions as the flower girl and the ring bearer with Jet between us looking like he was ready to faint.

"You alright, Boss?" Storm asked like the faithful guy he was.

"Just a little nervous," Jet admitted, pulling out a small paper. "At least I remembered my vows this time."

"If you didn't, we'd probably get beat with her Wrench O' Doom," I added, poking the two gold rings.

"Oh, shut up," Jet hissed.

Suddenly, a piano played a slow, recognizable tune that straightened the hawk almost instantly. His entire body grew stiff like he was encased in a block of marble ice. The white doors opened revealing Wave in her wedding dress with Sirin as the man who would give her to the loving husband. Both parties stood up, staring happily at Wave. Tails and Wave caught eyes; he was sitting on her side, and she winked respectfully at him. The twin-tailed fox beamed, tugging at his tuxedo. Jet extended his hand, and she accepted it. Sirin hesitated, almost unsure if he could trust Jet, but with a sigh and a smile, the sparrow returned to his seat by Cannon and Stream.

Speaking of Cannon and Stream, the moment he walked through the Dynamite Gang's door, she fainted on sight. Bean fainted too, but dramatically into Tomo's chest before getting thrown out a second floor window.

The priest, not Lucrezia thank goodness, was a pale brown robin dressed in a block robin with a cross necklace. His old eyes sagged down to the Babylonian bible. He flipped it open to some random page, and I immediately braced myself for a long, tedious speech about joy and love. Of course, it was boring and my socks could've been more interesting, but to Jet and Wave, it was like a few seconds. Once the robin asked for the rings and vows, I presented them with their rings proudly. As the robin took them cautiously in his wrinkled hands, he asked Wave to recite her vows, but Jet rudely cut the priest off with a shake of his finger. Sonic immediately shouted that he was a faker, copying his trademark since 1991, and was soon thrown out.

…WTF.

"…Okay, Sonic's a moron, at least that was established. You see, last time we went through this, Wave gave her vows with the most love I've ever heard," Jet stated loudly enough for Espio and Vector, who were stuck in the back of the church in case Vector shouted anything profane since he was late; Espio was put there to calm him down. "I know what she's going to say, meaning it's my turn now."

"Jet…" Wave whispered as the jade hawk got to his knees.

Please cue the crappy romance novel vow.

Jet pulled out the tiny paper again, staring at it for a few moments with a distasteful expression. Suddenly, he ripped it up and began speaking straight from his heart. "Wave, when I first saw you, Storm and I both though you were just a raving bitch-" Wave smashed Storm over the head with her wrench, effectively causing his nose to bleed. "-but you were a nice raving bitch!" Wave took her wrench and smacked Storm over the head again, making him yelp as the other nostril began to bleed. "Yet, time went on. We grew as people, comrades, siblings, and friends. We got older, and you got wiser while I got smarter, sort of. Anyway, my feelings for you deepened than just as siblings, and so did your's. I didn't know what the feeling was because I never experienced it before. Turned out to be…" Jet's voice trailed off, looking away from her. "…love. I tried hiding it, and it just started blooming like a rose, waiting for the sunniest day to show its true beauty."

"Dude! Get on with it!" Bean shouted, a can of soda in his hand.

Jet leaped to his feet, jabbing an angry finger at his cousin. "You ruined my beautiful monologue, and made me lose my train of thought, you idiot!" he squawked.

"Ignore him since he's from the peanut gallery," Wave murmured, cupping his face with her delicate hand. "I want to be with you. Now."

That was so cheesy, I wanted to go on my five hour sugar high and play Halo with the Wolf Twins.

"Do you, Jet the Hawk, take Wave the Swallow to be your lawfully wedded wife till death do you part?" the priest asked.

"I do," Jet quickly replied with a stern nod.

"And do you, Wave the Swallow, take Je-"

"I definitely do!" Wave answered, cutting him off with tears of joy coming to her eyes.

The priest, a bit bitter because of her interruption, gave both of them their rings, and they quietly, yet eagerly slipped each other's ring on. With a wide gesture, and a slamming shut of the bible, he announced, "By the power invested in me from the Babylonian gods, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride!"

And kiss they did. The chapel erupted with claps and cheers and some tops of beer bottles opening from the Dynamite Gang. I proceeded to do backflips in the air with Raine by my wide. When she asked when we were getting married, I quickly pointed at a random direction and fled behind Storm.

So you're probably, WTF? Why is this relevant? Well, it's totally related to what's happening now, so screw! Let's flash forward to two years later after Jet and Wave get married.

_Two years later, Babylon Garden at the castle's throne room._

Only a select few were able to see the coronation of the new King and Queen of Babylon. With the unification of two people with blood from the Solar and Lunar Tribes, both sides were happy. I, being a member of the Babylon Rogues, was allowed access to watch at twelve. Storm also watched while Kiba stayed home with twins Cloud and Hurricane. Being Jet's cousin and a possible heir in case Jet ever died, Bean was allowed to watch, but with the guards because of his past association with Rodrigo. Jet and Wave were on one knee, heads respectfully bowed in front of the Council of Babylon. The Council was made up of elder from both of the Babylonian tribes.

We were in the throne room on Babylon Garden's castle. The walls were plated gold with matching chairs embedded with jewels for the sovereigns. Adorning the tiled floors was a large red carpet leading to their chairs. Along the walls were portraits and photographs of past kings and queens. Jet had large black shoulder pads on like his father's, Accel, symbolizing his heritage and right to the throne. Wave was dressed in a formal white dress with no sleeves, reaching just above her knees with tans sandals.

The leader of the Council was an elderly cerulean seagull who came forward from the group of old avians. In his hands was a bright red pillow with a golden crown with a large green gem in the center. Another old buzzard stood behind him with a smaller version of the crown. Jet and Wave both stiffened at their presence, eyes still closed

"The coronation for the next king and queen of Babylon shall now commence," the seagull stated sagely, his voice slow and unwavering. "Jet, do you accept your responsibilities, bringing honor to the name of Babylon?"

"Yes, I do, I absolutely comprehend my duties," Jet replied. He opened his eyes, exposing unbridled confidence. "I'll be the best king you've ever seen. Watch me."

"Bow your head, Prince Jet the Hawk," the seagull ordered lightly. As Jet obeyed, he raised the crown over the twenty-year-old hawk's head and slowly placed the crown over Jet's forehead. "In the name of Babylonian deities, I crown you King Jet the Hawk. Please, stay kneeling."

Jet nodded, a smile creeping onto his beak. "This is awesome."

"As a former member of the Babylon Rogues, you personally saw Jet's leadership skills and valor. Now as his queen, your duty has altered, meaning you must also gave him proper guidance in time, Wave. Do you understand your circumstances as the Princess of the Lunar Tribe?" the seagull demanded, taking the smaller crown.

"I humbly accept my duties," Wave replied.

"In the name of you ancestors and to the gods above, I crown you Queen Wave the Swallow." The seagull placed the crown over Wave's head, and her face couldn't have been any brighter. "King Jet, Queen Wave, please rise."

Taking Wave's hand, Jet brought himself and Wave to full height. Once they stood proud and tall, the elders, Bean, the guards, Storm, and I got down to one knee, lowering our heads in respect. A new cry rang out through Babylon Garden. The word of the new monarchy spread quickly like a shooting star, but once they reached the ears of a certain falcon, all he could feel was malice. A hint of violet glazed Cannon's eyes for a few moments as he watched from the outside of the castle. The only thing running through his mind was that he needed revenge.

_Present_

The chimes of war thunder ruthlessly as the fighting tribes launch at each other through the humid sky. Warriors of the Lunar Tribe were leaping over the barrier, striking down civilians that flee in terror. Some fight back as the guards blast them away with laser guns. Anybody with white flames were considered an enemy and pulverized to dust. Tempest, Tidal, Hurricane, and Cloud take to the skies on their Extreme Gear, watching down as their proud capital is in a siege.

"Tell me this isn't happening," Tidal murmurs.

"Sorry, Princess, but we can't," Cloud replies softly.

"What would make the Lunars attack though?" Hurricane asks.

"Cannon was the leader of the Lunar Rogues, so he's the one behind this," Tempest proclaims. "Father told us to get sneak into their ranks and see who really is behind this since we have two suspects."

"Cannon and Uncle Sirin," Tidal states.

"Well, we can't waste anymore time thinking about this trivial stuff!" Cloud shouts before looking down. "Whoa, it's my dad and Uncle Charmy!"

"What are you four doing?" Storm demands, riding up to them with me flying next to him on his Extreme Gear.

"Didn't Dad tell you? He told us to go and find out who's behind this," Tidal responds.

"…No, he didn't," I interject. "He told you four to go and try and found out where they're coming in from."

"…B-b-but then…who gave us this?!" Hurricane cries, pulling out a small communicator from his pocket. "It's a message from King Jet that tells us to go find out who is behind this."

Storm takes the bright orange communicator from his younger son, inspecting it carefully. Suddenly, he crushes it in his massive hands, but leaves a black dot intact. The dot turns out to be donned in white flames, a little present from the Lunars.

"Who gave this to you?" I ask as Storm throws the bomb over the barrier, and it explodes seconds later. "Whoa, you're lucky we got here."

"…Aunt Stream did," Cloud admits, eyes widening in shock.

The look on Storm's face is absolute rage. To be betrayed by his own sibling again was hard enough to go in with, but to attempt to destroy his children and his godchildren really just pushed the limit. Glancing over the clearing smoke, the leader of the guard quickly orders them to go back to the castle and help the guards. Without question, they obey, but Tidal glances over to us before Cloud pushes her along gently.

"Huh…" I mumble.

"What?" Storm questions, slightly depressed.

"Seems like Cloud has a crush on Tidal, eh? You, Jet and Wave could seen be in-laws," I smirk as he slaps me upside the head. "Can't I state the obvious without getting hit for once?"

"You? Never," Storm sneers. "Come on, Jet and Wave are meeting us behind the barriers while the guards take care of the invaders."

"It's just like before…"

"Huh?"

"Centuries ago on Babylon, this happened, but it was Rodrigo and Stolen leading the different tribes against each other. I fear it's recurring," I murmur.

"R-really? W-well, we better go get back to Jet if you're right!"

Below us, the city is being destroyed. Fire erupt in buildings while the screams of the innocent rupture through the sounds of bullets controlling the skies. The two races of Babylonians strike with blades and different types of guns, only aiding to the carnage of the disgusting war.

I can only wonder why Cannon or Sirin would be drawn back into such a violent occurrence. Both of them were removed from Rodrigo's clutches more than a decade ago. They shouldn't have wanted to be with that monster anymore, and Rodrigo has been dead for sixteen years. Nothing made sense so far as to why they wished to serve a maniacal crow who was rotting in hell. Was there something more than I realize?

As I gaze back over my shoulder, I thank whoever is up in the clouds that the Babylon Rogues are gone. Storm and I meet the two rulers of Babylon Garden deep within the forest surrounding the barrier that the Lunars had broken. Wave is typing in something on her Red Orb's holographic screen, and it pulls up a map of Babylon. Jet taps his foot impatiently, his Extreme Gear propped underneath his arm.

"I've got a reading on Cannon's whereabouts. He's with three other figures: Sirin, Stream, and Bean," Wave informs, pointing to four glowing dots in the northwestern corner of the Babylon Forest.

"Bean, too?!" I cry in shock. "What about his job with Team Dynamite?"

"Who cares! All that matters is that I go in there and ring their smug holier-than-thou faces!" Jet shrieks before Storm covers his beak with his hand.

"Ssh! I hear something," Storm whispers, releasing Jet.

Wave checks her holographic screen, gasping. The dots representing Cannon and his cronies are on the move towards us. Wind increases around us before four separate tornadoes hail from corners, trapping us like we were in a box. Four Extreme Gearists known as the former Lunar Rogues surround, stepping off their Extreme Gear.

"Trapped like the annoying pigeons you are," Sirin growls with a much darker and malicious tone.

"Which one of you is behind this?!" Jet demands, pulling out his fans and stepping onto his Extreme Gear.

"I'm the leader of this little group, your _Highness_," Cannon sneers, but like Sirin, his voice was rather evil and deeper. "We got tired of your charade for trying to put off the Lunars in equality with the Solars. So I decided, what the hell, might as well go with what Lord Rodrigo said and take over Babylon."

"Our mission is to complete Lord Rodrigo's wish," Stream explains, her tone snobbish and cruel, "and that is to put all the Solars to the doom!"

"Meowth, that's right!" Bean jeers annoyingly, his voice…not changed at all. "Oh, damn, wrong monologue."

"Bean, we rehearsed for three hours!" Stream shrieks.

"Sorry! I can't remember shit!" Bean retorts.

"Shut up with your aggravating banter!" Wave snaps irritably. "The Lunars have been getting equal respect. We have been making sure of that. By having them attack us only brings their chances with the people of Babylon for full partnership even worse."

"You just stated that the Lunars aren't even citizens of Babylon," Sirin scoffs. "Dearest sister, you were the Princess of the Lunar Tribe, and this is the ultimate betrayal to side with Solar Scum."

"You Lunar Trash, back off!" Storm warns.

"Why did you restart the war?" I demand.

"Ah, that's right, you were there when the Great Babylon War started," Stream coos. "It's like what Lord Rodrigo always said: The monarchy is a big fat crock."

"Like you should talk, you and Bean betrayed the Solar Tribe!" Jet accuses.

"We just joining the winning side, cousin," Bean hisses coyfully. "Now, it's time for you to die!"

The duck creates an ignited bomb and tosses it, but Storm bashes it away. The explosion turns out to be a smoke bomb as thick block smog infiltrates the forest. I cough as the smoke darts into my lungs, cutting off my air. Dashing into the skies with my wings, I find myself staring down at the disappearing smoke. Once it clears, nobody's around, but clashes can be heard from around. A finger taps my shoulder, forcing me to turn around. Cannon smashes his fist into my gut, making me double over in pain as I flopped to the ground. Struggling to get to my feet, Cannon slams his heel into my head, forcing me to eat a mouthful of grass. Coughing, I wipe the grass off my tongue and snatch the falcon's ankle, before flipping him over.

"Cannon, what's wrong with you? You and the others left Rodrigo! He betrayed you!" I reason, flying to my feet.

"Oh, my little bee brat, you're so naïve," Cannon growls in a voice that sounded so dark and familiar.

Bee brat. It hits me like a ton of bricks slamming onto my skull. Staring at the falcon's eyes, I gasped as they turned into a sickening violet with slits for pupils. But…how?

"Rodrigo," I whisper. "How'd you get outta Hell?!"

"You dropped this!" Rodrigo-in-Cannon cheers, holding out a bright blue opal. "This is Cannon's Gravity Gem, the very same one I gave to him when he was a boy. When you visited me in Hell, you dropped it, giving me my final chance for power. Sure, my body is trapped in Hell, but my soul is in this, locked with Cannon's."

Oh, did I forget to mention a few days after Rodrigo's defeat, I asked the Grim Reaper if I could see. I also forgot to tell Cannon that I found his Gravity Gem and decided to keep it in case anything came along. We had a rather fun conversation which meant that he and I were friends, but I was stupid and dropped the Gravity Gem. This reignited our rivaling enmity, and I began to slap myself in the forehead for being so freaking stupid.

"You're kidding me! So, your soul is in Cannon's, and you're controlling him with the gem?" I ask.

"Nobody can tell you're stupid," Rodrigo smirks.

"But what about Bean and the others? How are you controlling them?" I demand.

"Simple, I used the last remnants of my power to place them under a curse so that they would follow Cannon's commands, my orders," the crow's soul chortles. "So, what do you say? One final bout to see who lives, friend?"

"Well, since all you can pretty much use is gravity now…" I remove my gloves, exposing the Light Gravity Ark I kept for so long. "It's time we end this for good!"

---

**The final battle between Solar and Lunar has begun! Can Charmy defeat Rodrigo one last time? Or will Rodrigo finally get his dream of crushing his "friend"? Find out on the last Rogue's Bee!**


	33. Epilogue: Sixteen Years Later pt 3

Characters © Respective Owners

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Ch. 33: Epilogue: Sixteen Years Later pt. 3

So…Cannon is possessed by Rodrigo, the Babylon Rogues are currently facing the falcon's teammates and wife who have been brainwashed as well, and I am missing my favorite television show. Oh, joy, can life be any grander?

"Rodrigo, can't you just drop this stupid invasion of Babylon? Innocent lives are being destroyed," I growl as he merely shrugs. "Man, you really got nerve possessing another of my friends. First, it was Espio eighteen years ago, and now Cannon? I think your tricks are starting to become redundant."

"Silence! This is our last bout, and I'm going to be victorious!" Rodrigo roars.

"Didn't you say those sixteen years ago?" I snicker. "And eighteen years ago, too? In fact, didn't you say that the first time we technically met when I was six?"

"You know what, you're an aggravating specimen, and I'm absolutely positive your wife and daughters hate you," he jabs, grinning wickedly with an air of arrogance around him.

"You're the one rotting in Hell, and you leave my family out of this!" I scream. "Besides, your kids betrayed you!"

"Lucrezia and Cesare don't deserve the title of my kids. After all, one looked like a tramp while the other is an alcoholic. Both are playing Happy Hour in Heaven. It's sickening." Rodrigo shrugs nonchalantly as if it does not matter to him. A glaze crosses his eyes, exposing his true feelings that his children betraying him were actually hard on him. "Come, you're older, and I gave you sixteen more years to live. It's time to end this."

"If I win, you return Cannon and the others back to normal. Also, you stop this war when I kick your ass."

"I'm an honest man, the deeds will be done." A sneer carves its way onto his beak as he charges. "That is, if you can defeat me!"

Having little magic with him, Rodrigo only has possession powers and combat skills. I manage to raise my arm just in in time when he jump-kicks right at my face. He snatches my arm, flipping me over to my back, but I manage to elbow him in the gut before he can slice my throat open with his talons. Gasping, he wobbles backwards, holding his stomach in pain. Smirking, I snatch his head feathers and punch him straight across the beak, and he stumbles backwards, holding his head.

"Cheap shot," he grunts.

"Whatever floats your boat," I snicker.

He is quick to retaliate, much faster than before I might add. Rodrigo grips my neck, still running, and smashes me threw several trees before my head collides with a tree branch. Hissing with pain, I groan as Rodrigo releases me to fall to the ground.

"What was that about cheap shots?" Rodrigo growls victoriously.

"…Cheap shots…"

A sudden thrashing attracts our attention, showing Stream slamming her heel over Wave's head. The swallow snarls, holding her hand in pain as she manages to block a strike from the albatross' other heel with her wrench. Yelping, Stream rubs her ankle, hobbling slightly. Rodrigo's body twitches and I realize that Cannon was still trying to break free from the crow's cruel control. With his wife's injury, it seems that Cannon was starting to come back, but I was not completely certain. After all, the same violet eyes remained intact with demonic slits for pupils.

"Bitch, how dare insult _my _Extreme Gear! It is the best in the entire world, and don't you ever forget it!" Wave roars, snatching Stream's neck.

"Honey, your Gear sucks hardcore!" Stream bellows, cracking her skull against Wave's forehead. "And I'm sure Bean can make betters boards than you."

A vein probes in her forehead as an insane grins stretches across the violet bird's beak. Sweat drops all around. Brandishing her wrench, she screams something incoherent and begins chasing Stream around the forest. I have no freaking idea why I work for her anymore.

"That was…a nice distraction," I state, blinking unsurely.

"You know, I seriously wonder why I ever got her on my team," Rodrigo admits, scratching the back of his head nervously. "She was worse when she was a teenager. Them and their mood swings and adolescences."

I distinctively recall the time when I was fifteen and in the "I hate the world, emo-goth and dark, suicidal poetry" stage. It was not fun, so remember kids, do not idolize Shadow when you are a teenager.

"…So, should we get back to fighting or just watch Stream get killed by Wave?" I ask.

Rodrigo was quick to respond when he yanks out a scythe. I gasp: The Grim Reaper's scythe. "It's extraordinarily fun to get Grimmy drunk. It just goes straight through him, and don't ask how I got him drunk. It's not a pretty story."

Meanwhile, a little while away, Storm is holding Bean by his neck, looking extremely irritable in his brow. The explosive duck gasps when he is released, holding his throat. Storm crosses his arms, yawns, and snatches him by his twin bangs.

"Why the heck are you attacking Babylon? The Solars and Lunars made up years ago when Rodrigo was defeated," Storm demands.

Bean rolls his eyes, a hint of purple succumbing across the blue. "Wouldn't you like to know? I'm sure the next generation of Babylon Rogues will having a fun time with our kids."

"What did you say?" Storm snarls, gripping his throat tighter.

Flailing his arms in desperation, Bean chokes out, "Th-they were t-told to attack and k-kill on s-sight!"

Storm throws Bean into the nearest tree with extreme force, fueled by raw malice. The collision is powerful enough to knock Bean unconscious, and he slides down the tree to a slump. Parental concern instantly floods his chest as he looks to the sky, praying for his sons and godchildren's safety.

Jet isn't having that much luck with Sirin. The sparrow had him cornered into a tree, pinning him down with his senbon needles. His fans had been discarded like pocket change, fallen out of his palms during the fight. Tiny needles poke out of his skin as he pants, but the emerald hawk pulls them out, wincing with each tug.

"So, what made your loyalty towards me swap?" Jet asks, removing himself from the tree. "Haven't I made the Lunars happy with some of my decisions?"

"You are arrogant. I do not appreciate that in a king. As the Lunar Tribe's prince, I plan on rectifying your ways with one option available: your death!" Sirin shrieks insanely, yanking out several more needles from his vest.

"Now hold on! I know you don't just want to kill me on a whim, do you? When did you plan this?"

A moment of silence soon follows as the sparrow lowers his arm. It is clear that he had not been thinking about assassinating Jet. The King of Babylon gasps, noticing that Sirin's eyes have completely changed to violet.

"Rodrigo's back, huh? Well, now that I know he's behind this, I guess I can finally get serious!" Jet jeers, snatching his fans and darting forward.

Leaping into the air, the jade avian creates a torrent of wind that propels Sirin into a bush. Crawling to his feet, the sparrow grips Jet's ankle and flips him over. Kneeling on Jet's chest, he aims his needle at Jet's neck. Emotionlessly, he strikes, but Jet slams his knee right onto Sirin's…privates and only nicks Jet's shoulder. Sirin falls over, holding his area in extreme pain.

"Huh, you won't be getting up for a while," Jet mutters, running off.

Wave is still chasing Stream, both screaming something. I don't know. Moving on.

Taking out my kunai, it turns into its short sword version. I twirl it in my hand, poised and ready to fight. Rodrigo swings his scythe at my head, but I block it and kick him low at his knees. He trips, but smacks me in the chin with the pole, causing me to fall over. Rodrigo gets up first, slamming my face into the ground. I gasp, snatching my sword and swinging rapidly in a desperate hope to swat him away like an annoying fly.

"Is that all you got? Age must be catching up with you," Rodrigo sneers.

"Dude, I'm twenty-six, and you're over four thousand years old or something!" I argue, flinging my head back up and slamming it into Rodrigo's brow.

Rodrigo stumbles backwards, rubbing his forehead. He gasps, gingerly caressing the Gravity Gem on his forehead. It had cracked slightly, and hints of light jade tinted his eyes. It is the opal that Rodrigo gave him to him as a child that allowed him to possession over Cannon's body.

Not only does that sound wrong, it also sounds like Cannon is Rodrigo's personal plaything.

"Crap, not now," Rodrigo mutters, rubbing his forehead. "This is the only reason why I am still connected to this world…"

"Bingo! Thanks for giving your secret away!" I cheer, giving him a thumbs-up.

"…Oh, dammit!"

Snatching my sword, I quietly thanked my graces that Rodrigo is a total blather mouth. As our swords collided, I try to swipe his gem but he punches me in my temple. Losing balance, Rodrigo immediately takes up on this, kicking me square in the chest. Yelping as Rodrigo hovered over me, words instantly jumble out of my mouth.

"I swear to whatever god or gods are up there in those clouds, if you kiss me again, I will cut Cannon's privates off!"

"…No, this fic isn't M rated," Rodrigo states. "If it was, this story would probably be a yaoi story with you and me as the main couple with Jet and Storm as a secondary back-up."

"What are you talking about?"

"…You don't know? Nevermind, I still hate you. Now, die!"

Ignoring what he just stated, I snatch my sword and slash at him. I manage to slice his forehead, creating a long streak of crimson ooze that slithers down his face. Rodrigo cries out, holding his forehead and drops his scythe to the ground. He gasps, glaring down at me as blood drips off his face like rain. I gulp, wondering if Freddy and Jason were jealous of Rodrigo's new facial.

Glints of the teal opal clatter off his face, and one of his eyes actually change back to Cannon's emerald ones. Half of the gem remains on his forehead, but Rodrigo snatches his forehead, trying to stop the almost endless flow of blood. Rodrigo glowers down at me, but a different voice retreats from his beak.

"Charmy?" Cannon questions, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Cannon!" I cry happily, getting back to my feet. "You're alive!"

"Of course I'm alive, but Rodrigo still has control over me. Hurry! While I am still in control, destroy the Gravity Gem with your Ark of the Cosmos!" Cannon commands, pointing to his forehead. "…This better not scar up."

I look down at my wrist, completely forgetting that I was wearing my Light Gravity Ark. Slapping myself in the forehead, I take careful aim to fire a LG Beam, but Cannon suddenly snatches my arm, punching me straight across the nose. Rodrigo took back control, snarling at him. Blood drips down my nostril, dancing across my upper lip. Lapping away the scarlet liquid, I smirk.

"You again? You're a rather sore loser, Rodrigo," I snigger.

"I refuse to lose again!" he shrieks. "Especially not to you again, my friend!"

Rodrigo snatches his scythe and stabs at my Ark, but I activate it just in time to separate us with a shield. Enveloping Rodrigo in a sphere of gravity, I grin as he squirms around. It was ironic since he was once a master of gravity, and now he is trapped by the very source he dominated and once slathered it with dark magic. Snatching my sword, I poise myself to strike.

"Any last words?" I sneer.

"I lose," Rodrigo whispers. "However, I can't help but feel that all of this would turn out the same. I've faced you, plot after plot, and you defeated me each time. No more vendetta or revenge, you've won."

The words touch me softly as Rodrigo grins without any sign of arrogant. For a few moments, I think that this wasn't Rodrigo but Cannon speaking. Returning the grin, I grunt and stab the rest of the Gravity Gem. Rodrigo roars in pain one last time before his tainted violet eye transforms back into calm emerald ones. The blood on his forehead vanishes since it was technically Rodrigo's wound, and the flesh tissue eases up. Cannon gasps, looking around frantically before meeting my eyes. In a swift movement, he suddenly takes me up in an embrace.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Charmy!" Cannon cries, holding me tightly as if he would never let me go. "Thanks to you, Rodrigo's control has now been broken. Sirin, Stream and Bean have been released of his mind control as well, and so have my children and Sirin's son, Musica."

"Your kids and Musica too?" I repeat, pushing Cannon off me.

He nods, explaining that Rodrigo had controlled Diamond, Opal and Musica to kill the Babylon Rogues. While trapped in his own mind, Cannon added that he watched his children and godchild fight the Babylon Rogues with Team Chaotix, Vector and Espio stepped in and stopped the fight. Currently, the fighting Lunars were subdued and unconscious with Cloud and Tidal drawing on Opal's face.

That's when Cannon was smacked right in his privates by Wave's Wrench O' Doom. The falcon yelps octaves higher than his normal voice, falling to his knees before collapsing to his side. Backing up as Wave throws a conked out Stream over her husband's body, she jabs her wrench at me as Jet and Storm walk out of the brush with Sirin and Bean out cold.

"I know what happened!" the four of us shout simultaneously.

A moment of silence passes as we all sweat drop comically. The Babylon Rogues point to me for an explanation, and I sigh, shaking my head. Informing them of what Rodrigo has done, they agree with my statement.

"Well, that's a first. We actually agree with you," Storm jokes.

"Hah! You're funny," I sarcastically growl.

"Anyway, we'll just leave this guys here and have the guards retrieve them later," Wave states. She picks up the shattered fragments of the opal, handing them over to me. "You should hold onto this. After all, if it's ever restored, Rodrigo could come back."

"He won't, he said that this was his final battle. Rodrigo's never coming back," I reply with a small grin. "Can't help but feel bad though. We honestly could've been friends."

"Whatever, let's just get back to Babylon Garden. The guards and citizens might not be able to hold off the Lunar invaders," Jet commands as we get our Extreme Gear.

Riding over to Babylon, I gasp at the carnage and bloodshed. Innocent Babylonians have been slained, sprawled along the streets with people mourning over them. Guards and Lunars alike have been killed with some of their bodies overlapping each other. The remaining factions of the war remained standing, but not fighting. In the middle of the city square where Lunars and Solars stood where the Sonic Heroes and some of their children.

"…Um, why is Tango hanging upside down from a street pole from his underwear?" Wave asks, staring at the green rabbit.

"Dammit, Cloud, Kata, Tidal, Sara, Emerald, and um…" The Chaotix leader points to Tech Prower, Tails and Cream's daughter. Tango blinks like he's struggling to recall. "…my niece whose name I can't remember!" Why the hell did you guys put me up here?"

"Because you annoyed me," Kata states bluntly. "You just couldn't help your mouth shut about Chao, and I finally snapped."

"You dropped an avalanche on my hand, so revenge takes no prisoners," Cloud adds, pointing to his right hand.

"The rest if us just don't like you," Sara beams as Tango struggles to move.

"Don't any of you have parental control over your kids?!" Vector shrieks, pulling his son down.

"Me? Nope," Jet replies with a curved shrug. His eyes dance over towards Sonic, and the hedgehog has a cocky grin on his face. Just before he can speak, Jet points a finger at him. "They're all trespassing. Guards, force them to leave."

And that's pretty much how the story ends with the Sonic Heroes getting thrown off the floating paradise one by one. What, you thought this would be some sappy, group hug? Hell no.

THE END.

---

**OC HOUR**

**Starring: Gemini and Damien. Holy hell, those two are still alive?**

"**Where have we been?" Gemini asks his dog partner.**

"**Dude, I have no idea," Damien responds with a casual shrug.**

"…**Wait, this story's over, so that means we're free! Free from obscurity!" Gemini cheers.**

**As they both happily dance and leap over the fence of my yard, a spike suddenly shoots up from the ground. Having their wits scared senseless, Gemini notices that a piece of paper is attached to the spike.**

"**Don't take it!" Damien warns, tackling the rich hedgehog to the ground.**

"**Why the hell not?" Gemini demands.**

"**If you take that, we'll probably be stuck doing some crazy reunion show for this series."**

**Shoving Damien off, Gemini rips the paper off the spike and clears his throat. "Preposterous. Only Rodrigo, you and I knew that this was…oh no."**

"**What is it?"**

"**WHAT THE HELL DOES KIBA MEAN WE'RE HOSTING A REUNION SHOW?!"**

**I, Kiba Sniper, suddenly snag the unwilling hosts in a large sack. Plopping them over my shoulder as they struggle and scream, I face the audience before giving a thumbs-up.**

"**All stories have morals! For the Charmy Rogues Trilogy, the moral was never giving up, persevere through hard times and look for the light at the end of the tunnel! Oh, and stay away from pedophiles! See ya!"**

---

…**Oh my God…it's done. It's really done.**

**LEAVE AN HONEST REVIEW FOR THE FINAL CHAPTER. I LOVE YOU ALL. **

**P.S: Oh, and I'm having an Author's Note, so watch out for it!**


	34. Author Notes with Thanks

Author's Note/Thanks

Looking back…

I realize that the more you write the stronger and more fluent you become. To exert your passion for something you appreciate with words and exhilarating plots only shows your love for the characters or series. It sends a message to the minds of the reader to expose your adoration for a certain pairing, plot, or even characters that got scrapped like Nack, Bean, and Bark. Heck, I even brought back Scratch, Grounder and Coconuts in Babylon Bee.

Looking back…

I sucked at first. I really freaking sucked. My spelling was atrocious, I could barely update due to laziness, and even though I had everything planned out, I hated filler chapters. Like the last one hundred episodes of Naruto were filler episodes that hardly helped with the plot except for explaining what the hell happened to Mizuki and Anko's past or whatever.

Seriously, what were the animators thinking when they made half of those fillers? They sucked mostly, especially that Star Village arc. WTF.

Looking back…

I've come to notice that most people disregard some characters due to their physical attributes and personality. People don't notice the characters as much because they're "annoying" or "fat" or even "hyper".

…WHICH FAILS.

The reason why I chose Charmy to be the hero was for the pure reason that everybody ignored him. He was "little", too "sugar-high" to accomplish everything. Yet, nobody really tries to give him or any of the other abandoned characters like the Babylon Rogues (mostly Storm since he's rather ignored), Vector, Mighty and even Nack a sweet adventure and back story which leads up to their growth, maturity and sense of leadership. Charmy gained all of those, he may not have gotten there quickly, but it doesn't matter.

Heck, it's always "SONIC SAVES THE FREAKING DAY AND SCREWS -insert male character here, preferably Shadow, Tails or Knuckles- THUS TURNING HIM INTO AN UKE" or "SHADOW CRIES OVER MARIA AND MEETS MARIA REINCARNATE" or the worst one "SILVER GOES BACK TO THE PAST TO SAVE BLAZE, BUT FALLS IN LOVE WITH MY OC".

Oh, and Espio…yeah. A typical story for him is "goes to Narutoverse, trains with -insert a Sannin here-, becomes Hokage and gets rich. The end. Oh, and he falls in love with -insert female Naruto/Sonic character here-".

Looking back…

I've been on Fanfiction and DA for about…five years. Three years I wasn't a member, two I am and going strong. I've seen every type of fan fiction from high school fics, to random gems of powers, every type of couple imaginable, lemons, and most of them do suck. Especially the Shadouge ones, I dunno why, but those ones are really bad. I don't have anything against Shadouge, but the authors really make them crappy.

Then…there are some that have actual plots, good, well rounded OCs that people can relate with, couples that help the story progress with their romance and love, and those stories surpass in this fandom. After all, a good story isn't centered on powerful OCs, lemons, random violence, or irrational, OOC acts from the series' characters, but on what I listed above.

Looking back…

I distinctively remember all the fights we've had at Sonic Leaders Forum. Ah, such joyous memories from the drama! I only got into one fight with BSH. *hugs BSH* MINE.

Anyway, it was really all of your support that kept this girl writing. All the lofty reviews, the critics…

Speaking of critics, Master Metallix, if you ever read this again, I truly apologize for over-reacting when you commented on the chapter Babylon Brothers in Rogue's Bee. You were only trying to help, but what happened was that it was just a coincidence on Jet and Storm's trials. I honestly had no idea that Yu-Gi-Oh was a comic, but a card game and anime.

Also, it is time I give thanks to all of the people that helped me throughout this journey!

Babylon Sky Hawk: My very first friend, student, little Rock Lee, and dammit, I love you, buddy. You made me get back in gear during Charmy Rogues when I would hardly update and you update like…four times a week. It was definitely a rocky road for the two of us in the beginning since I was your first reviewer, and you were my student. BSH, you have immense talent in your writing. From Team Virtex, to the Kingdom Hearts series, and whatever you do in the future, your Kiba-Sensei can wish you only the best of luck. Remember…THE POWER OF YOUTH CONQUERS ALL! *thumbs-up and shiny grin*

Josky: We are distantly related somehow, I swear. My second student, my main man down at DA, and my homie. You are freaking hilarious, awesome, and totally…more awesome. I dunno, dude. When you added me to your favorites on DA that first time, I had no idea who the hell you were, and we started talking once Charmy Rogues was nearly complete. Still, we grew to become a little something called friends, and you are one of my best friends in the entire planet! *huggles tightly* I love you, Josh!

SupergamerGreg79: I keep spelling your name after all these years. XD You, like BSH and Josky, has been there for me ever since the Charmy Rogues days. You are so easy to get along with, and you're so funny to talk with! I can go to your for like…anything. To talk, to express ideas, anything! You are totally awesome!

Dark Maelstrom: I can only wonder how many times you deleted your stories. *pokes* Just kidding! You can paint pictures in your writing which is exactly what a good future author needs. The whole idea you can create is amazing, and you're forward reviews really make me want to improve. Good luck with your book!

Slash: I'm too lazy to write your full name. You are hysterical, one of the funniest people I know. Your reviews always make me giggle, and you always comment when I say "new chapter!' which lets me know you care! I love all of your reviews, comments and sayings like TMTOYH. (Too Much Time on Your Hands). Now, get to updating!

Sonic Phantom: You've been there since the beginning, the Charmy Rogues days. You've supported me through the tough times, given off my messages, and have been loyal friend ever since. Two years certainly fly by, huh? Thanks for the chapter title in Rogue's Bee for the final battle with Rodrigo, and keep on writing!

Dark-Illusion-Detective: You have been an awesome friend, reviewer and person to me. Being with me throughout the entire trilogy and just being around was cool since you were always there. I wish you great luck with your stories, my friend!

Aika08: One of my very first friends on DA and here! You've been around since post Charmy Rogues, early Babylon Bee era, and have been a great buddy ever since. You make everything short and sweet, which is great for someone like me whose attention span is wicked low. Thanks for everything, budsman!

Blue Kaous: Your name reminds me of Burger King. BK! BK! Couldn't resist, sorry. Sometimes your reviews are long, but totally helpful! At the forums, you're a totally great guy with greatness oozing from your posts. Yaaay, BK!

AllisonTC: One of the best artist I know on DA! Your art is completely amazing, way better than mine! You have awesome and rather adorable OCs like Aliza and Tomiku, and I totally love all your art! You rock, girl! *peace sign*

The Brawler: I know you haven't reviewed much, but still, you're a pretty cool guy. At first, you did start of rather rocky, but you progressed during the months you've been here. Good job!

Pika123: I don't really know you very well, but your reviews really warmed my heart. Thank you for reading!

WhipOwnsAll: You've been around since Charmy Rogues too! You are one of my biggest supporters in this series, so thank you! We haven't really chatted in a while, but you're still awesome! Thank you!

Master Metallix: I do realize that I have been rude to you, so please accept my apology. I'm surprise I'm still on your favorite author list. Still, you're advice helped me now that I've come to terms with my own stubbornness, so thank you.

To everyone else that I even looked at this story, thank you! XD

Finally, it's time for…Charmy Says!

CR's Charmy zooms out onto the screen. "Hey kids, today's listen is about sexual harassment!"

BB's Charmy bounces right behind him. "That's right! If anyone tries to touch you in a bad place, just say no and leave immediately! Go get an adult or someone you trust!"

RB's Charmy rides in on his Extreme Gear, and all three of them begin speaking. "Remember: That's no good!"

Now, I can finally say, complete.


End file.
